Evening star., 1949-04-29
Health Insurance
Health Insurance
Would Compulsory Plan Work?
Points in Dispute Reviewed
Third Of a SeriesJ
By George Bevendse
Would compulsory health insurance work for you?
1t Would: Ii Would Not:
1t Would:
Third Of q Series.J
By GEORGE Beveridee

mere now.
In the first place, they say. COM
pulsory insurance would make it
easy for you to get medical and
hospital care when you need 1t.
Secondly. it would give you a way
to pay for whatever is needed.
II you-John Jones, a husband
and father Of two children-areI
a Federal employe. self-employed
or one Of the millions Of people
covered by the Social Security Act.
this is how the plan would work
for you:
During the two years after the
legislation is passed. q small
weekly sum, which would total for
the whole period one-half of per
cent Of your pay for one year
would be deducted. II you make
s.. 900 q year. this would mean a
tax Of about SIS for the two-year
period.
Some time during the two years
following enactment of the bill,
you would be issued q card, certi-
flying that you. your wife and chill
dren are eligible for health insur-
ance benefits.
Deductions Increase.
At the end of that period, the
payroll deduction out Of your
So. .000-a-year salary would 60 up
to 1h per cent, or about $45 q
year. Then you could begin TAX
ing advantage of the benefits.
Actually. it would be little differ
ent from the things you do now
when you become sick.
You would call q doctor you
already had chosen to be your
family physician. You would 60
to his Office or. II necessary, he
would come to your home. You
would show him your eligibility
card, and then he would treat you.
The difference is that you could
forget about the bill.
II you needed q specialist. your
doctor would call one into the case.
He would send you to . hospital,
just as he does now, and your
card would clear the way there.
Your doctor would prescribe what
drugs or medicines you need. and
they would be paid for. too. out of
the fund your payroll deductions
helped create.
Would Buy Glasses.
The plan would work the same
way If you needed glasses. dental
work, hearing aid or special
nursing services, although COM
plete dental care, home nursing
and a few other services might
not be included in benefits at the
start.
If you were self-employed-a
farmer, for example-your con-
tribution to the plan might be as
high as 3 per cent of your earn
ings, because there would be mol
employer to furnish half the
amount. II you became un-
employed after having made con-
tributions. however. you would
remain eligible for the benefits.
The dental and nursing serv-
ices available at the start would
be paid for by appropriations
from the Federal Government OF
up to one half Of l per cent Of
the estimated annual payroll OF
participants in the plan through
1854, and up to per cent through
1857. This money would 60 into
the same fund as your con-
tributions.
(While they may be changed.
these general percentages are
proposed in the new bill. It
does not suggest the possible
ity of more than a 3 per cent
tax on .employe employer. and
this deduction would be ap-
piled only to $4,000 Of each
years earnings. Thus, II you
earned $4,000 q year, only
$4,000 of 1t would be taxed.
(Since the present bill can
only suggest amounts of money
needed, new legislation, not
yet introduced. would be needed
to authorize the actual payroll
deductionso
Facilities . Factor.
Some other restrictions also
might have to be placed on the
amount OF service you could get
at first, depending entirely on
what facilities and how many
medical personnel are available
in your particular area. But as|
the facilities increased under
other parts Of the health plan.
SO would the benefits.
One of the greatest benefits OF
the plan would be provision OF
a family doctor for everybody.
For many people. this has never
been possible. Specialization OF
medicine has cut further intoads
l0vO tIlE ClOSc tCA&taOAASA1Ako SAAoS
should exist between families and
their own doctors.
Victims Of chronic disease. such
as tuberculosis and mental ALL
ments, would be cared for in spe-I
cial hospitals, but the insurance
plan would cover your normal
medical needs.
The small amount Of money
you paid from your payroll dur
| ing the 16-month period. mean
while, would be used to finance
q ''tooling up" Of the program
| to lay the administrative ground
work for providing the benefits
and paying for them.
Decentralixed Control.
During that period. States
would be drawing up their own
programs, which would be ap-
proved by national board Of
hive members (including medical
profession representation and al
special Medical Advisory Commit
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