Cooperation for Rural Health

Excerpts from the report Summary: Farmers' cooperatives have joined in health discussion and planning councils, contributed to funds for building local hospitals and clinics, helped finance medical students, and taken other general measures to improve rural health facilities and services. The problem of payment for service, however, takes top rank in much of their thinking, planning, and action. As individuals, the members of farm co-ops often find it difficult, if not impossible, to fit the costs of health services into their family budgets. They are applying to the problem of budgeting for the costs of health services the same principle they have long applied to other problems – teamwork. In some cases the teamwork that originally led to a co-op for performing an essential business service has simply been extended to include one more service. Thus, through their farm business co-ops many farm families have been able to enroll in plans for group budgeting of hospital costs or other sickness and accident expenses. This report reviews some of the activities in the field of rural health carried on by farmers' cooperatives during the period 1945-47. First, it summarizes briefly certain broad general measures co-ops have taken to improve health services for farm people. Next, it outlines in detail selected examples of three systems of prepayment. Finally, it makes some suggestions for interested groups in rural areas where little, if anything, has yet been done.