The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-11-17
Powerful Lobbies
Merge To Fight
Health Insurance

washington (ETA - AlHeIlCd
two most powerful lobbies have
Joined to kill President Truman's
proposal for national health insur-
ance. They are the medical and in
surance lobbies, both armed with
millions of dollars and thousands
of effective agents in every part of
the union.
Fox Case, representative of the
AMA's publicity promoters-Whit-
aker & Baxter-disclosed the tie
up. He said arrangements were al
ready being carried out for distri-
button of 100000 of Whitaker &
Baxter's poisonous pamphlets on
the health insurance issue through
the insurance companies and their
grass roots lobby machine.
In addition, some of the insur-
ance organizations have arranged
to set up speakers bureaus to carry
the Whitaker & Baxter story to the
public. The International Associa-
ton of Accident and Health Under
writer's, for instance, is setting up
bureau with 1900 speakers to op-
crate in conjunction with state
medical society speakers. The
Health and Accident Underwriters
Conference also is setting up a
speakers bureau and promoting
the approval of resolutions oppos-
ing Compulsory health taxation"
Washington observers were
shocked at the implications of this
tremendous tie-up between the two
big special interest lobbies. The
ANA, alone, has more than $4,000
900 to spend in the campaign and
is out to get total of $3,500,000
in addition to further funds being
raised by State Medical Societies.
No tabulation of insurance COM
pany lobbying funds has ever been
made, but it is believed to run
into millions of dollars.
Furthermore, both lobbies are
out to grind the most selfish kind
of axes for themselves. The doctors
want the right to continue charg-
ing what they want when they
want and as they want, instead of
letting patients pay through regu-
lar insurance payments. The insur-
ance companies want to keep health
insurance in their own hands,
through the controlled volun-
tary health insurance programs,
instead of being handled more
,heaply by the government.
Studies have shown that insur-
ance plans run by insurance COM
)anies return consumers little more
han so cents on the dollar paid in,
while government insurance would
pay back more than 90l
.ents on the dollar.
Students of ANA strategy Won
lered what the medical association
vas paying in the way of compen-
alton for the cooperation of the
insurance cor mpani es. Has it
greed, for instance, to continue
its voluntary programs
through the expensive commercial !
assurance company set-up? If so, ]
he voluntary programs will con- 3
inue to be as expensive and limit r
d in coverage as they have in the
asst.
One of the biggest insurance
roups tied in with the ANA lobby
/; the National Association of In
urance Agents, composed of 20,- {
90 Independent insurance agencies
II over the country. They have
greed to set up displays at their
tate conventions and to put post
RS in agents Offices. The powerful /
merican Life Convention, compos-
d of 227 of the biggest life insur- g
nee companies, also is part of i
lie dual lobby. !
Independent insurance compan- C
IS which have become most active 6
pushing the lobby drive, Case i
aid, include the Proyident Mutual I