Page 2: Healthcare and Insurance Reforms
The second page details the implementation of the National Insurance Act 1911, which established a revolutionary healthcare funding system and introduced sick pay for workers.
Highlight: The 'ninepence for fourpence' scheme represented a pioneering partnership between workers, employers, and the government.
Definition: The National Insurance scheme provided workers with 26 weeks of financial support at 10 shillings per week during illness.
Example: Under the scheme, workers contributed four pence, employers three pence, and the government two pence.
Quote: "15 million were covered in the result of sickness."
Vocabulary: Poverty line - The minimum income level needed to maintain a basic standard of living, which Rowntree's research showed to be between seven and eleven shillings per week.
The reforms, while groundbreaking, had significant limitations. The worker contributions often represented half their weekly wages, and benefits didn't extend to family members, leaving many vulnerable despite the new protections.