Evening star., 1949-04-22

doctor and patient. Under such a.
plan. patients will remain free to-
choose their own doctors, and doc
tors viii remain free to accept or
reject patients. Moreover. patients,
doctors, and hospitals will remain
free to make their own arrangements
for care outside the insurance sys-
tenn II they SO choose.
Asks Local Administration.
The administration Of the pro-
gram should, of course, be decentral-
lied to the greatest possible extent
1t Is also Of the utmost importance
that the quality OF medical care be
adequately safeguarded. Both these
objectives can be accomplished in
large measure by having the admin
istration OF the program In each 10
cality guided by q local group in
which the skills and judgment Of
local medical personnel are fully
represented. Furthermore, the full
est possible use should be made Of
the medical schools and their facul-
ties.
Health insurance will mean that
proper medical care will be eco
nomically accessible to everyone COW
cred by 1t, in the country as well
as In the city, as a right and not
as a medical dole.
It will mean that more people will
obtain the preventive care which Is
so important, and that more people
will be able to have better medical
care. Thus health insurance will
provide an effective demand for the
additional doctors, nurses and other
medical personnel we need to i'm
prove our health. The provision Of
more doctors and medical personnel
goes hand in hand with better ar
rangements for paying for their
services.
Aid to Medical Schools Urged.
My second recommendation,
therefore, is that the Congress enact
legislation to help medical schools
expand. Special financial aid should
be provided for the construction
Of teaching hospitals and other
facilities and to help the schools
cover the cost Of larger enrollments.
At the same time, scholarship aid
should be provided for good students
who might otherwise lack the means
to undertake the long period Of
professional training.
Today we have about 10000
active physicians, Of whom 145,000
are In private practice. This is
not enough. 1t represents only
about 80 per cent Of the physicians
we require. Unless we take prompt
action to expand the medical
schools, we shall be no better OF
10 years from now. We face similar
shortages with respect to dentists,
nurses, and other professional medi-
cal personnel. Obviously, the faci-
lities for professional education will
have to be expanded II We are to
provide adequate care for our grow
ing population.
Health insurance will have
another extremely important re-
suit so far as medical personnel
are concerned. Since payment of
doctors and other fees will be as
Sured by the insurance system,
doctors will be able to practice where
they are needed most, without
sacrificing income-as too many
doctors must now do in rural and
low-income areas. Comprehensive
health insurance will thus lead to
q more equitable distribution Of
doctors over the country and we
will no longer have the situation
where some counties have only one
active physician for every three
thousand persons, while other,
counties have five or six.
More Funds for Hospitals.
My third recommendation is that
the Federal Government provide
increased aid for the construction
Of hospitals and other medical IA
cilities in communities where they
are needed. ~
In many cases adequate medical
treatment can be provided only
in hospitals. Under present circum-
stances, disqualification Is often im-
POSoIDlC, uOtil bSCduoE VA tAiC SilOi v
age of hospitals and because of in
ability of the patient to pay the
costs OF hospital care.
The enactment of health insur-
ance will, Of course, permit more
of our people to obtain the hospital
care they need. Thus health In
surance will make 1t possible to
support hospitals in communities
where they could not now be sup
ported. At the same time, it will
make the present need for hospital
construction even more urgent.
The present Federal Hospital |
Survey and Construction Act, en-
acted in 1946, represents an i'm
portant step in q national pro-
gram to provide more hospitals. Un-
der this act, expiring in 1851, some
funds are provided for the Gov
ernment to contribute one-third Of
the construction costs of public and
other non-profit hospitals.
Recommends Extension.
I recommend that the Congress |
extend the duration Of this program,
increase the funds to be made avail
able, and modify the program so
that the Governments share will
take account of the varying finan-
cial resources of different States.
Furthermore, the program should
be broadened to include aid for the |
establishment of community health |
centers, diagnostic clinics, and group
practice clinics, all Of which have |
proved in recent years to be very |
effective means Of providing better |
medical care. This aid should be
provided In the form Of grants to
help finance the construction and
equipping OF public and other non-
profit health centers and clinics, and
In the form of Government guar
antees OF loans for the establish |
ment of private facilities, similar to |
the mortgage guarantees the Gov
ernment provides for private hous-
ing.
Closely related to these measures
to increase the availability Of private
medical care are certain actions we
should take to improve the public
health preventive and disease-con-
troll services, which are now made
quate In most areas and totally lack
ira0 In MANY