Evening star., 1949-02-08
Health Bill Deplored

Administration Health Bill Deplored
To the Editor Of The Star:
The administrations national health in
surance bill. known as SIS, is q bitter dis
appointment to the social-minded. The
weary taxpayer was promised q dependable
floor of low-cost social insurance against
those health hazards that are bankrupting
to all. Instead SIS provides neither q de-
pendable floor nor commonsense ceilings.
An all-encompassing floor of complete medi-
cal coverage is promised privileged groups.
Its ceiling is national bankruptcy. Every
thing about S5 justihes the suspicion it Is
pious political gesture for the record. It's
present form repudiates every pretension
that it Is fair, adequate, practical or finan-
cially sound.
An overwhelming majority of worker-doc-
tors were uncompromisingly opposed to the
working conditions and wage scale Of $3.50.
This was the administrators compulsory
health insurance bill Of the "do-nothing
80th Congress" SIS is $3.50 unchanged,
except to make its title and dates conform
to the 'fair-deal 8lst Congress" The S0th
Congress bitterly was condemned as anti
labor. Is it fair labor practice still to in
sist upon wage scales and working condi-
tions that were totally repugnant to worker
doctors in $500?
SIS Is not adequate as q sufficient form
OF social insurance. Legislative nat cannot
create doctors, nurses or hospital facilities.
Any health insurance program is dependent
on those actually available. SIS promises
more than reason demonstrates 1t can de-
liver. It promises complete medical, dental,
home nursing and hospital care with all
auxiliary services. General medical service
alone includes preventive, diagnostic, thera-
peutic care and periodic medical examna-
tions Yet in its declaration of purpose
SIS admits there are serious inadeauacies
in the availability of health services"
Will SIS solve the problem Of these critical
shortages by imposing repugnant wage
scales and working conditions that will
discourage increased production? Surely
the impossible mated to the unwanted is
not adequate social insurance
S.5 Is ridiculously impractical. Study of
the frankly socialistic British compulsory
plan will prove this. Both plans are iden-
tical in social scope and purpose. They
are promises unlimited in utter contempt
OF economic law. Many Of their basic ad-
ministrative mechanisms are ideQtical Both
plans require the doctor to prove his title
to salary by mountains of accounts records,
certifications and slavish compliance with
exhaustive bureaucratic directives. Doctors
who were In the armed services know all
about the parasitic demands Of bureaucratic
administration. BY the time . doctor had
exhausted himself complying with one ty-
rannical directive. ten changes and amend
mepts were on their way to bury him In
despair. .5. uc.1.1.. g.. *S.ysa 10
AS you increase paperwork, you decrease
the doctors effective hours as profess.
sional worker. This only will aggravate
existing shortages. The qualjty otamedical
care goes down because ifaseH defense the
Nv,1x,
mum service Is health insurance plan
practical that makes an enslaved clerk of
the doctor? An honest answer should make
the administration search its heart. This
means SIS should be made to conform with
economic law and social justice to doctors,
taxpayers and patients.
THOMAS E. MATTINGLY, MD,