Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-28
UNIV Program Worse
Than British Sociaized|
Medicine, Doctor Says
By Robert J. Droke and Bill Todd

By Robert J. Drake and Bill Todd
North American Newspaper Alliance
JACKSONVILLE, Ohio, Dec. %.
"A physicians Office here, not
particularly catering to coal min
ers, mailed a bill for 81 800 to the
United Mine Workers Welfare and
Retirement Fund for miners and
their dependents treated last Au-
gust.
The physicians register form
accompanying the bill listed 26
pages of patients, Is to page.
To be eligible for free medical
service, every patient had to be
a miners welfare-fund case. The
fund paid benefits of $50 month
to the miner, $40 for his wife and
$40 for each child.
The physician is still awaiting
payment. The fund ran dry in
September.
Stand in Line at Bar.
At the height of the welfare
fund boom, grocery store in al
nearby town made a daily deposit
of $4,000 in a local bank. Except
for SO, the entire amount con-
sisted Of pension or welfare
checks.
Men stood in line to get to the
bars on busy nights or paydays.
One welfare-fund charge threw a
handful Of bills and change on a
bar. saying:
Drink up, boys. that's easy
money. It came from old John L.
Today, like other mining COM
munities of Southern, Ohio, this
city Of 5000 has pulled in its civic
belt a few notes on a skinny diet
afforded by the combined effects
Of no more welfare or pension
checks and the "no-day" and
three-day work weeks.
In this town the suspension OF
welfare-and-pension fund checks
meant q loss of 100000 month,
according to bank estimates
quoted by c. D. Crawford, assist
ant cashier of the First National
Bank.
Commercial Accounts Down.
Rejecting the plight Of bust
nessmen, commercial accounts are
down $500, 600 since Mr.. Lewis be-
gan q series of total and partial
work stoppages, Mr.. Crawford
said. Savings accounts dipped
only moderately. presumably be-
cause the average miner is in no
position to own a savings account.
strike or no strike.
A department store proprietor
said sales dropped rs to 80 per
cent during the strike and were
running 6 per cent below last year
at this time.
"That s per cent was our profit. ;"
he observed.
Things may improve, but we
will never pick up what We lost.
Max Jansen, jeweler and presi-
dent Of the Jacksonville Merchants
Association, said.
Doctor Outlines Workings. I
A spokesman for the medical
profession outlined the workings
Of the welfare fund program from
the physicians viewpoint.
"It is worse than anything in
the English system Of socialized
medicine" he said. AT least,
English doctors are limited toll
what they may treat and charge"
Before June 1. physicians were
required to have individual au-
thorization before treatment of
welfare clients. Thereafter. the
stub from the welfare check was
blanket authorization for treat
rnent, with payment guaranteed
by the fund trustees.
Once a miner feels incapable
OF working and in need of well
fare pension, he obtains form
from his local union secretary and
seeks out a doctor OF his own
choosing. If his disability is con-
nrmed, he goes on welfare, along
with his family.
"If the doctor says no, he goes
to another DOCTOR" the medical
man said.
Abuses Found.
Naturally there were abuses.
Anything as big as this was bound
to be abused. Once in a while you
get q conscientious fellow who
wants to go back to work.
1--WE had one case where we
couldn't find a thing wrong with
the man, but he still insisted he
couldn't work. He had a nervous
condition, so we recommended him
for welfare for three months.
"But many definitely need medi-
cal attention. The locals used to
have their own disqualification
benefits, but when the welfare
program came along. everything
went to the international. Now,
with no help at all, wee have such
cases as a woman very i'll with
..a