Review the main features of TWO welfare reforms passed by the post war Labour government 1946-1951.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Review the main features of TWO welfare reforms passed by the post war Labour government 1946-1951.

The Labour Party won power decisively in the General Election of July 1945. Following the Second World War there was a strong feeling that British people should be rewarded for their sacrifice and resolution. The government promised reforms that would create a more equal society, those reforms among others included the National Health Service Act (1946) and The National Insurance Act (1948) of which main features will be review in this essay.

Labour government created the National Health Service Act, based on the proposals of Sir Beveridge Report. The National Health Service Bill was introduced into the House of Commons in March 1946 and came in to being in 5 July 1948. 'It started with clear assertions of the responsibility of central government for the health of the nation and of the principle that services should normally be free of charge'. (Hill, 1993:32) There were reforms in coverage, eligibility, governance and founding. Coverage became universal, with no exclusion on grounds of income or wealth. Direct payments for health care (fees and charges) were abolished (Alcock, 2008:243). Hospitals, local authorities and most