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GROWTH IN NUMBER OF PEOPLE COVERED BY
HOSPITAL, SURGICAL AND MEDICAL EXPENSE PROTECTION

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Hospital, surgical, and medical expense coverage by States-Number of people protected, end of 1952

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VOLUNTARY PROTECTION AGAINST LOSS OF INCOME DUE TO DISABILITY

This is the oldest form of voluntary health protection in the United States, and its steady growth over the years testifies to its inherent vitality and its widespread acceptance.

At the end of 1952, approximately 3 out of every 5 members of the civilian labor force were protected against loss of income in case injury or illness kept them from the job. The number of individuals so protected exceeded 38 million at the end of last year. This was a new high mark but it represented only a slight increase over the revised figure of 37,738,000 covered at the end of 1951. For the most part, this insurance is off-the-job protection covering illness and accidents resulting from other than occupational causes. The worker is ordinarily protected by workmen's compensation in the event of occupational injury or illness.

Coverage against loss of income due to disability, end of 1952

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For sources of figures see appendix pt. II. For basis of estimated duplication see appendix pt. III.

ESTIMATED BENEFITS PAID UNDER VOLUNTARY HEALTH PROTECTION

The growth of voluntary health coverages over the years has been accompanied by a corresponding expansion in the benefits the people have received from these coverages to help them defray the costs of hospital, surgical, and medical care, and the income lost as the result of accident or sickness. Estimated benefits paid under voluntary health protection during 1952

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1 Does not include payments under paid sick-leave programs, union-administered plans, or employee mutual-benefit associations.

The total of benefits paid in 1952 toward hospital, surgical, and medical costs is estimated at more than $1 billions. Large though this figure may be in itself, it is the more important to the beneficiaries in view of the mounting costs of health care in recent years.

The largest source of health protection benefits is hospital-expense coverage, with payments estimated at over a billion dollars. An estimated $546 millions was paid toward the costs of physicians' services in the form of surgical and medical benefits.

In addition to the above total, insurance companies paid an estimated $474 millions in loss of income benefits under accident and health policies. Substantial additional benefits were paid under paid sick-leave arrangements, unionadministered plans, and employee mutual-benefit associations.

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Individuals covered solely by Government insurance under compulsory plans have not been included in the total number of persons protected aaginst loss of income due to disability. However, data presented in part II of the appendix indicate that more than 10,600,000 workers were engaged in covered employment at the end of 1952 under the Rhode Island, California, New Jersey, and New York cash-sickness plans and under the Federal Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act. Of these, it is estimated that about three-fourths were protected under the voluntary plans included in this survey. Hence it appears that about 2,500,000 persons, in addition to those included in this survey, were covered for loss of

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