The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-06

Consistent with the stand taken
by local doctors against passage of
the Wagner-Murray Dingell social
security bill, the Connecticut Medi-
cal society has issued a statement
calling for the development OF prl-
vate medical insurance instead OF
federal insurance 80 that medical
care would not be in the hands OF
the politicians
Two prominent local medical men,
DR.. M. j. Lawlor and DR.. j. E.
Slavin, in statements issued to the
Democrat last Friday scored the
passage of the bill, defining it as
political dictatorship over the ma
TONS health" and political
opiate."
Not the Answer
DR.. Creighton Barker, secretary
of the state society, said that the
society agreed with the stand taken
that medical care should be more
generally available by means Of in
surance methods, but declared that
the Wagner bill was not the answer.
The society's recommendation
will be presented to a group OF del
egates representing the society on
Dec. 8 when its contents will be re-
viewed and taken under considera-
ton. DR.. j. Harold Root of Water
bury, member of the insurance
committee of the state medical
board will be present on Wednes-
day.
According to plans Of the bill,
which is known as senate bill 1161,
medical insurance would be COM
pulsory for persons earning $4,000
or less by means of an additional
social security tax of per cent to
be deducted from the individuals
pay-check and to be matched In
equal proportion by his employer.
The net result, opponents claim,
would be a three billion dollar rev.
enue to be used to finance the plan,
yearly, of which it is said that So
billions would be almost sufficient
to more than handle the program
while the remainder would be used
for general administrative purposes.
The CLIO has gone on record In
favor of passage of the bill claim
ing that medical authorities have
made no concerted effort to pro-
vide for some kind of overall in
surance whereby lower bracket per-
sons would be assured of medical
care. State CLIO leaders have de-
clared that the recent proposal OF
medical insurance by the doctors is
"a screen to divert attention from
the Wagner bill"
The National Physicians commit
tee has gone on record assailing the
proposed legislation stating that, IF
the recommendations of the bill are
enacted into law they will destroy
the private practice of medicine IN
America"
Remuneration
DR.. Edward H. Cary, chairman OF
the board of trustees of the N. P.
C. and former president OF the
American Medical society in leading
the opponents of the bill into the
fight, declared that 1.-The American
people are fundamentally opposed
to having somebody in Washington
tell them what to do. The Wagner
Murray-Dingell bill is simply a
matter of socialism in the evolu-
tionary stage. 1t means taxes for
every American whether he wants
to hire his own doctor or let Uncle
Sam do the selecting
The bill which was introduced
into the U. S. senate on June 3, 1943,
has met with criticism from leading
papers and magazines all over the
country, all of whom have attacked
it as RECOMMENDATION" and state
control"
Many Waterbury doctors now III
the armed forces serving overseas
have written home declaring their
opposition to the bill. DR.. 0. j.