Montana labor news., 1944-03-30

benefits as old age and survivors insur-
ance, but without any provision for medi-
cal care or disqualification. This is the
insurance provided for by the 10 de
duction from your wages, the employer
adds 10 of your wages as his contribu-
ton to this insurance fund, and also
pays go of the amount of your wages
to provide an unemployment compensa-
ton fund out of which an unemployed
worker. who has worked enough to have
built up an unemployment insurance
account, is entitled to a maximum Of SIS
a week for a maximum Of 16 weeks, pro-
vided the U. S. Employment Service
office is unable to find a Job for the
unemployed worker. This is not charity,
but insurance which the worker and
employer pay for on the basis of actual
employment. Too frequently the oppo-
nents of social legislation refer to these
benefits as "doles' or grants in an
effort to arouse the pride inherent in
most of us so that we Will resent being
the object Of this unholy charity, there
fore, I want to emphasize that social Sc
curity and unemployment benefits are
not charity, these benefits accrue to the
insured as a right under a compulsory
insurance plan.
Aside from the medical provisions of
the Wagner-Murray amendments, the
bill extends coverage to all employed
and self-employed workers, while under
the existing bill only certain groups are
covered. This bill would also extend the
number Of benefit weeks to 26 instead of
Is as at present, and increases the mini
mum amount of benefit so that the
smallest benefit a retired worker or his
aged widow could receive would be $40
a month instead Of $40 as at present.
For. these additional benefits it is pro-
posed that the employer pay an add
tional 90 of wages paid. and that the
worker pay an additional So, making a
total Of 60 paid by each, the employer
and the worker. 1t must be obvious to
all then, that this bill is no gravy
wagon" or "hand-out" to anyone, but is
an honest effort on the part Of its spon-
sors to eliminate some of our most deva-
stating economic evils through national
insurance.
To admit that a doctor would work
only eight hours a day under the pro-
visions of the Wagner-Murray bill, and
not be available for emergencies, would
be a shameful admission, for nowhere in
the bill is there any reference to the
number of hours a doctor should or could
work. There is, however, provision made
for correcting the type Of service your
doctor furnishes if you have reason to
believe you are not getting the service
you are entitled to-. Section 906, under
Hearing and Appeals states, and I
quote, 1.-THE surgeon general is hereby
authorized to establish necessary and
sufficient hearing and appeal bodies to
hear and determine complaints from in
dividuals entitled to benefits under this
title, from practitioners who have en-
tered into agreement for provision Of
services as benefits under this title, and
from participating hospitals, and to take
such steps as may be appropriate and
are not contrary to any other provision
of this act to remedy the grounds for
complaint if any, Unquote. This sec
ton of the bill further provides for the
settlement of disputes among doctors
themselves with the specification that
confines the hearing body to disinter-
ested doctors.
I think you are entitled TO know just
how much politics will enter into
whether your doctor can practice under
the bill or not. Hitler has made good
use of the colossal lie in his propaganda
machine, but it is unthinkable to be-
lieve that the medical profession would
knowingly lift a page from "Mein
Kampf." However, here the qualifica-
tons, and the only qualifications insofar
as the Wagner-Murray bill governs
which doctor shall, or which doctor shall
not practice under the bill, and 1 quote
Section 9O5, paragraph l, ANY physician
qualified by a state to furnish any serv-
ices included as benefits under this title
shall be qualified to furnish such services
as benefits under this title Except as
otherwise provided in paragraph 4 Of
this section), in accordance with such
rules and regulations as may be pre-
scribed." Unquote. This says, in plain
English, that any doctor qualified by
state law TO practice has no other quail