Verhovayak Lapja, 1944 (27. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1944 / Verhovay Journal
May 25, 1944 Verhovay Journal Page 3 WHY SICK BENEFIT? It isn’t even funny how many times members and prospective members, when approached with the suggestion of taking out a Sack Benefit Certificate, answer: “But I already have hospitalization!’’ Quite a number of prospects will even have additional insurance against sickness and accident, and therefore consider the fraternal Sick Benefit a superfluous and unnecessary protection. Every member should know that Hospitalization, Sickness Insurance and Fraternal Sick Benefit are entirely different propositions, and their respective merits can only be judged by one who knows all the advantages and disadvantages of each form of insurance. * # * Let us first consider Hospitalization. It must be said in favor of Hospitalization that it represents one of the most advanced steps in social development. It makes it possible for sick people to receive medical care which, otherwise, would be unavailable to them because of its high Cost. It protects not only the entire family but the financial status of the family also. An unexpected operation may for years upset a family budget, but Hospitalization helps keep it in balance. The cost is low and the gain high... therefore, if used, it proves an excellent investment. It has all the advantages of social medicine without its drawbacks. These are the advantages of Hospitalization. But there are disadvantages also, that result not so much from the incompleteness of protection offered by Hospitalization, but more from overestimating the scope of protection assured by a Hospitalization con tract. First of all, Hospitalization does not give any protection at all for sicknesses that do not require hospitalization. A patient may be laid up for months, the insurance does not cover his case if he is not in need of hospitalization. Certain types of illnesses are excluded even in cases when the patient is admitted to a hospital. We can see at once that Hospitalization renders only partial coverage: chronic illness, for instance, that cannot be treated throughout its duration in the hospital, leaves the patient without any benefits at all. Quite often it happens, also, that a patient is persuaded by the doctor to submit himself to an operation. The patient, who has no money, consents in the belief that Hospitalization will pay his expenses. Then, after the operation, he finds out that the doctor reported his illness as one of long standing which he had at the time he signed his contract, and Hospitalization again leaves him without protection. While Hospitalization has benefited millions of people, at the same time, there are many who have experienced bitter disappointment which was caused by their over-estimating the protection offered by this otherwise, excellent plan. Imagine what embarrassment results when one, who was fully satisfied with the protection of the Hospitalization-plan, develops tuberculosis, or any other sickness which lasts for a long time but does not necessarily require hospitalization. None of his expenses are taken care of, his earnings have ceased and his family faces dire need in conse quence of his negligence. * • * Now let us have a look at the commercial sickness insurance plans that are sold at different rates with variant benefits. There are plans that promise to pay to the insured 25—30—40 dollars per week in case of illness, and quite often their rates seem to be surprisingly low. In such cases it is always advisable for the insured to read his policy carefully. In most instances he will learn that the policy applies only to illness that requires hospitalization. In that' case the Hospitalization-plan is to be preferred, because its protection amounts to more than the cash-compensation of an insurance-plan. Furthermore, commercial insurance plans usually include a long list of illnesses excepted. The higher the amount of benefits and the lower the price of the contract is, the more types of illnesses are excepted from coverage. Some bf these plans may look excellent on the surface, but upon closer study they reveal many loop-holes. In some instances the insured really must be lucky to catch a sickness that would entitle him to receive the benefits promised bj the contract. A year ago some court in a western state was kept busy for weeks by a claim that resulted from a train accident. The insured demanded payments but the company denied liability on the ground that, though the contract included train-accidents, it applied only to cases when the train involved in the accident was pulled by a locomotive. In that particular case the engine was placed at the rear of the train and pushed it'. ..and the company contested the case on that ground! A conservative plan of insurance will always prove to be more dependable, yet its cost will be invariably higher than that of most of the “extremely advantageous” contracts. * * * How about the fraternal sick benefit plan? As a rule, fraternal associations offer a conservative insurance-plan. Weekly sick-benefits are usually somewhat lower than those of the extreme commercialplans, and the dues are calculated conservatively, too. The highest sick-benefit class of the Verhovay pays $16.00 per week. Monthly dues amount to $1.90 in this class. We hope that our association will soon develop a plan that will call for somewhat higher weekly benefits but the dues then, too, will be in pro portion to the benefits. y But—and this is the most important advantageous feature of the Fraternal Sick Benefit Plan— it pays for every kind of sickness that disables the member. No matter what the sickness is, no matter how long it lasts, it will provide the member with benefits until ' he has received the full amount of the Sick Benefit certificate. The member does not have to be hospitalized: as long as he is under medical care and his physician testifies that he cannot do his work—he is entitled to the benefits and no questions will be asked. This sweeping provision of a fraternal sick benefit contract represents an incomparable advantage, because it gives the member FULL protection and assures him of an income throughout the time of his illness. This is one of the reasons why Fraternal Sick Benefit Associations persist in issuing certificates for comparatively lower amounts of benefits: it pays to all of the members for all kinds of sicknesses that disable the member from work. Be it a fracture or nervous exhaustion, a severe cold, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma or rheumatism—the Association is immediately ready to help because it has been founded for the sole purpose of helping its members in every emergency. It is this, the helping purpose, that distinguishes the fraternal sick benefit plan from any other plan. It is this purpose that obliges the association to pay to everyone who because of sickness is prevented to work. Misunderstandings naturally arise even under such a plan. Quite a number of times a member of the Sick Benefit Department gets sore because the manager of the branch does not approve his application for the sick benefit, on the ground that he found the “sick member’’ in a pool room, or at the bar, happily forgetting his troubles in a few shots of liquor. Naturally, a member who is able to hit a strike in a bowl ing party, cannot successfully plead a case of severe illness. And then again there are cases, when a doctor refuses to recognize the member as ill, and does not sign his application, in which event the association is obliged under the law to believe the doctor and not the interested party. But, with the exception of such attempted abuses and inadvertent mistakes, the work of the Sick Benefit Department runs smoothly. There is no red-tape and no attempt on the part of the Association to get out from under its obligation. Anyone who observes the comparatively simple rules will find no difficulty in regularly receiving his sick benefit. * * * ' Comparing the different plans we can see that they do not exclude one another. Hospitalization has its advantage in meeting the higti costs of hospital care, while frataxual sick benefit gives a certain income for the duration of any illness. It is easy to come to the conclusion that the most advantageous plan would be to combine Hospitalization with Fraternal Sick Benefit. The former would help in most cases to meet the expenses of an operation and other emergencies, while the latter would give protection when Hospitalization renders no protection. And remember, the fraternal organization pays you the benefits even if you are in the hospital under the Hospitalization Plan, thus giving your dependents soma income while your illness is taken care of at the Hospital. For their own sake we urge the members of our Association to join the Sick Benefit Department which will prove a real help in the time of- need. MAY On May the first, down at Manila Bay, Dewey won his victory in the year 1898, And on the seventh of this month in 1915, — Torpedoed and sunk, the Lusitania met her fate. On the eighth, in 1792, Mt. Ranier was discovered, On the ninth, Comm. Byrd played an important role In the history of the United States, for in 1926 He completed the first flight over the North Pole. Then comes the second Sunday in May, The date that each of us holds so very dear, When we pay special tribute to our mothers, The day that comes only once every year. The very first air-mail service in the world Was inaugurated in 1917, by the U. S. on May 15th And then, too, we celebrate the Peace Day or “World Good Will Day” on May the 18th. On May twenty-first, in the year 1927, Lindbergh completed The first non-stop flight to Paris from New York. On the twenty-seventh of May in 1812 was born a famous author Julia Ward Howe, who has left us her magnificent work. The first official telegraph message was sent In the year 1844 on the twenty-fourth day of May. And last but not least, on May 30th, Each and every American celebrates Memorial Day. You can have all your holidays of this month, The birthdays, inventions, and deeds of great men, For the entire happiness of May is for me to hear The cheery songs of the birds in my front yard again. Just to see the flowers and birds on the trees, To see the charming butterflies and the honey bee, And to see the days grow warmer and longer, That is the wonderful definition of May to me. Emma Jean Evans, Age 14, Branch 7 Pricedale, Pa.
