Evening star., 1949-05-01


defeat If pressed at this time.
This Is recognized by admin
well as by the enemies Of the plan.
Indeed. the Senate Committee on
Labor and Public Welfare to which
the Truman bill has been referred,
has decided to postpone the meas
ure until 1850.
Standing in the immediate way
Of the Truman health insurance
bill are two bills, one sponsored by
Senator Taft, Republican. Of Ohio
and the other by Senator Hill,
Democrat. of Alabama. Both Sem
ators are members of the commit
tee having charge of the Truman
bill, and theirs are bills to improve
the national health, too. The diff
ference between these bills and the
Truman bill, lies in the facts that
they contain no compulsory health
insurance, leave those able to pay
for medical care free to take health
insurance If they desire-or not to
take it-and would have the Fed
eral Government contribute aid to
the States to give such care to the
needy who are unable to pay,
either for health insurance or for
medical care in any way.
Committee Progressive
Both Senators Taft and Hill are
strongly opposed to the admins
tration's health insurance pro-
gram, maintaining that 1t would be
violative of the whole American
way and a long step toward state
socialism. Despite the fact that
all wage-earners and the self
employed would be compelled to
pay a payroll tax-in which their
employers would share-to support
the proposed system, Senator's TAFT
and Hill refer to it as free medi-
cine"-with every one entitled to
obtain disqualification. medicine,
doctors care and nursing without
payment. Further. they insist that
the country, its hospitals and its
doctors and dentists and nurses
could not meet the deluge Of re-
quests for all kinds of medical care
with which they would oe deluged
as soon as free medicine" became
effective.
AS q practical matter. the Tru-
man bill would have no chance OF
favorable action by the Senate
committee, and If any health bill
was reported out it would be either
the Hill bill or the Taft bill. or a
revised version of both. Yet the
Labor and Public Welfare Com
mittee Of the Senate Is regarded
as one of the most radical-or
progressive-committees OF the
upper house. Eight of its Is mem
bers are Democrats and five are
Republicans. Seven Senators. a
majority of the committee, are
sponsors of either the Hill or TAFT
bill. Joining with Senator Hill In
offering his bill are Senator With
ers, Democrat. of Kentucky and
Senators Aiken of Vermont and
Morse of Oregon. Republicans.
Taft bill co-sponsors are Senators
Smith of New Jersey and Donnell
of Missouri, both Republicans.
Campaign Weapon
Obviously under these condi-
tions the Truman bill may be ex-
pected to have a tough and unsat-
isfactory time in the committee.
If 1t were brought to the Senate
floor with an adverse report. or
even offered as a substitute for a
Hill-Taft bill, the chances are 1t
would be more severely trounced
than in committee, where at least
the vote would be very close. Both
Senator Hill and Senator Taft
understand the situation very well.
From a political point of view. If
the administration expects to
make capital Of its free medicine
plan, 1t would be more advan-
tageous to bring the Truman
health insurance bill before the
Senate and the House at the ses-
sion Of Congress beginning next
January. Then if the measure is
defeated by Republican votes the
administration will be in position
to rush into the 1850 congressional
campaign and charge the Repub-
licans with having denied the
people the medical care they
should have. and with having
failed to relieve the people of
heavy medical care costs which
they now must bear in time Of ILL.,
ness. The fact that number Of
Democrats joined in the defeat
could be overlooked or minimized.
On the other hand. should the
Truman health insurance measure
win and become law-and there
win be great pressure for it from
many sources-the administration
could 60 jubilantly to the polls,
declaring the Democratic party the
real benefactor of the people. A
defeat in the present session of
Congress would not be as effec-
tive-from the political angle-as
a defeat next winter or spring.
TnmHnc0n