Evening star., 1949-03-02
Compulsory Medical Insurance

70 the Editor of The Star:
The slavishness with which Mr.. Mellett,
Mr.. Stokes and Miss Fleeson follow their
party line becomes more distaSteful every
day. 1t is particularly disgusting to observe
their zeal to impose compulsory medical
payments on us as well as other compulsory
controls of all kinds. In fact, it becomes
clearer every day that what all the pro-
ponents of this medical bill really want is
compulsion for the sake of compulson.
Their sudden violent interest in our health
is not in the least convincing and they give
themselves away when their first objection
to other plans, now offered, is that there is
no compulson in them Why should there
be compulsion of free citizens? Are we not
as competent to decide for ourselves as these
people who are SO determined to do us good
at our expense? If their scheme were as
good as they would have us believe why
should they need compulslon? Wouldn't
every one flock to get into anything SO per-
fectly wonderful as this is supposed to be?
Can it be that they think compulsion is the
only way they can possibly attain their end
and that what they really want is something
that they do not want us to know until it is
too late for us to help ourselves? One doesn't
quite see what Mr. Ewing is running for, but
that his interest in our welfare is sincere and
diSinterested, do not for one moment be-
lieve. These people have the impudence to
talk about freedoms at the very same time
that they are doing their very best to restrict
our freedom in every way they can. Real
freedom is one and indivisble and includes
freedom to mind ones own business without
interference from poWer-Seeking politicians
who wish to establish compulsion for their
own ends think it is very significant that
the Communists are always heartily in favor
OF compulsory measures. The principle at
issue is so important and its implications so
dangerous that do not see how any one can
be indifferent to 1t.
MIRIAM BLAISDALE KETcHUM.
To the Editor of The Star:
Socialminded doctors and their taxpay-
ing patients are indebted to The Star
for its authoritative reports on Britain's
compulsory health insurance program. Un-
less President Truman makes radical
changes in his health insurance proposals,
the British Socialistic scheme will be the
administrative pattern of our social insur-
ance program. Therefore, objective reports
from those having contrary views about
the success Of the British scheme will help
Americans to avoid British mistakes.
Margaret Stewart, an industrial cores
pondent, reports success and general ap-
proval of the plan. 1t is significant that
her disputed thesis with statistics. They
always plead the sacred dignity of the in
divdual but they always plan to mold him
into faceleSs, disciplined mass. Slide rules
operated by party intellectuals dictate mass
response to their soulless Interpretation of
mass welfare. Mass obedience to mass dis
cipline simply crusheS individual protest
or lack Of individual conformity Miss Stew
art proves the British socialized system
works because bureaucratic statistics prove it,
How different is the earnest dignified
dissent of DR.. Reginald Hale-White! He
believes in every humanitarian ideal with
which Health Minister Aneurin Bevan baited
the plan. Dr. Haley Whites criticism is
that of the phySician-Worker whose soul
revolts at good intentions betrayed by stupid
incompetence. AS worker, the dsillusioned
doctor gets down to cases. He sums it
all up by saying the socialistic scheme
promises the impossible. The exhausted
doctor has become a faceless slave on the
treadmll of tyrannical bureaucracy. Even
his vainly protested slavery cannot redeem
the grandiose promises of Aneurin Bevan
at anywhere near humane value. DR.. Hale
Whites report proves the most dangerous
thing about the British plan is the unwill-
ingness Of its proponents to listen to the
worker instead of the conniving politicians.
We hope both the White House and every
member of Congress received and read these
significant articles in The Sunday Star It
is the kind of "grasS-root's' education worth
many times the American Medical Associa-
tons $25 assessment fee.
THOMAS E. MATTINGLY, M. D.