The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-06-06
Voluntary, Not Compulsory Medical Insurance Needed Proposed Health Bill Has Many Defects Many Good Provisions Community, State Can Decide What Needs Better Than Central
 Dispensing Bureau Washington Declares Local Medical
 Assn. Head in Address at Conventions Held Here

A. M. A. Reaction
 As the public at large, who are so deeply concerned with this sub- ject and the physicians, without whose services no health program could operate, have had little op- portuhity to help form this bill; it was squarely up to the American Medical Association to investigate and study the measure.
 I might state that the American Medical Association is composed of 130,000 of the ethical physicians of this country, the largest medical or- ganization in the world, to which the requirements for membership are: CD Graduation from a reput- able medical school; CD Completion of services in a recognized hospital; and (3) the practice of his profess sion according to ethical standards
 Investigation and study the Amer ican Medical Association shows that:
 (a) There are not 40,0O0,000 un- cared for sick in this country, but only 10000 and these are limited to certain Southern and Western States in the scattered rural sec- tions.
 (b) That 20 percent of the hospi- tai beds of the country are vacant and that these should be filled be- fore new hospitals are constructed; otherwise it will work 8 great hard- ship on all religious hospitals, Cath olic, Protestant and Jewish alike by leaving an increasing number of vacant beds over the 20 percent at the present time.
 Co Compulsory Health Insurance by giving the power of appointments and the assigning of vast sums of money to the administration gives too much power to the administra- ton and the Central Board and might lead by political juggling to the using of this power for political influence and vote-getting, and con- sequently lead to a Bureaucratic form of government in Washington
 (d) That each community, town. or city should have the privilege of studying its own needs and require ments and that each express its opinion to the state, and in this way each state decide for itself just what changes are required to fit the needs of each individual state, and that each state controll its own Socialized Medicine but that the government help finance the plan in each state according to the different requirements of the in- dividual state.
 (e) The government at present is educating certain groups of physi- clans in various institutions and will appoint these to the posts in the 800 new hospitals and 800 new Health Centers and make no pro- vision for the thousands of general practitioners who will be adversely affected by this plan.
 (f) That there is no epidemic, no emergency in this country, and the health of the country never was better, the mortality of the country as low as the leading countries ;n the world, and that the administra- ton has exaggerated and mis-rep- resented to the people the actual needs of the sick and needy of to- day.
 (g) The American Medical Asso- citation believes that all individuals that wish health insurance should receive it and all those who do not need or desire it should not have it forced upon them. Therefore a voluntary form of Health Insurance under each state would best meet the needs of this country much more efficiently and happily than compulsory Health Insurance under the Central Government as pro- posed by the present Wagner Health Bill.
 (h) It is contended by many that a financial depression in a nation is usually accompanied by a cry for a change in the conditions of a nation and that if the government would provide more jobs there would be less necessity for 8 radical change.
 Change Is Needed
 In conclusion let me say that it is the opinion of the American Med- ical Association that some form of change in the present system to as- sist the medical needy is desirable, that the Wagner Health Bill has many excellent provisions, and many defects that should be cor rected before the bill is accepted and put into law and that each community and each state should have its opportunity of expressing itself in order to secure Nthe correct Health Bill of Socialized Medicine that will happily meet all the re- uuirements of the people and the physicians of this country.