Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-12-23
Are We Going To Let The
AMA's Millions Win!
BY Nathan Robertson


w mentary on our political scene that at the
very time the American Medical Association
is raising a fund to fight President Truman's
health insurance program big as either of
the major political parties is allowed to spend
on next years election the organization lead
ing the fight FOR the Presidents program is
virtually penniless.
On the very day the ANA voted to impose
compulsory dues on its members to raise its
ante in the health insurance fight to S5,000,-
000 the Committee for the Nations Health
was desperately appealing to the public for
a tiny fraction of that amount to carry on
feeble counter attack.
The ANA is spending its S5,O0O,OOO to
fight for a more conservative position than
even many of it's own members favor. The
CNH, which includes such spOkesmen for mil
lions of citizens as Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt,
William Green and Philip Murray, stands for
the kind of a program that polls indicate
most of Americas 145,OOO,OO0 people favor.
The most significant thing about this situa-
ton is that it represents what is happening in
our democracy today on many other issues
too. The special interests always know what
they want and have plenty of money to fight
for 1t. The great mass of consumers the
pubIic-is unorganized and financially weak
for the battle with the special interests
In this battle over medicine, the $5000,-
900 is being raised by assessments on 145,OOO
doctors There are las, 100000 medical con-
sumers in this country-or a thousand for
every doctor in the AMA--but they have to
depend upon voluntary contributions and so
far haven't been able to raise even fraction
NJ he ilabIa IN
With their tremendous lobby fund the
doctors have spread propaganda throughout
the nation-55 900, 900 pieces of it, so far
They have made much noise that many
Congressman even the more liberal ones have
been convinced the doctors are the only ones
who really care what happens. congressman,
being politicians, can see only one thing to do
- play safe They know they will lose the
doctors las 900 votes, plus the votes of mem
bers of their families, if they stick their necks
out for the Presidents program. They don't
see many of the 145 100000 consumers who
care enough to vote for them on this issue
alone.
Unless the people wake up and rally
against the doctors there can be only one out
come to this kind of sided battle. The
ANA has committed its $5, 600 to fight
for status quo in medicine even more con-
servatiVe position than it was taking few
months ago when 1t seemed a little more
scared
Earlier this year when it looked as though
Congress might act on health insurance the
ANA offered few vague promises of change.
But at the meeting here last week at which
il voted another So 900 900, the doctors were
so confident they were winning their fight
that they drew back to their original do
nothing position. For instance:
They voted to oppose the pending bill to
A.os cite uVRHn
They voted to oppose the pending bill to
provide diagn0stc and preventive medical care
for children In the schools.
They voted against improving the salaries
OF public health officials, and only reversed
themselves when ANA leaders frantically
warned them they were repudiating one of the
most specific pledges in their own program
OF few months ago.
They voted to give the Board of Trustees
authority to fight the enactment of dis
ability insurance plan--the only new feature
of the Administrations social security pro-
gram.
This ultra-conservative program obviously
Is not even representative of the American
medical profession There are thousands OF
doctors who favor most of these proposals the
ANA is against. But they were not represented
at the ANA convention. Or if they were they
didn't dare to speak up because of the power
in the hands of the ruling clique.
Yet there is a little chance for revolt from
within the profession. Last year almost 200
of the nations leading doctors protested the
AMAs first assessment and were severely
squelched by the ANA. One of them found
that he was no longer acceptable enough to
his own profession to be allowed to speak to
them on purely medical issue of great
moment to the public. His appearance before
fellow doctors cancelled. So even among
the dissident physicians, there is little fight
left.
The fight must come from the public But
the public as represented by the CNH is al
most without funds to operate 1t has never
had much-never even penny for each dol
lar put up by the doctors Now even this pit
tance is gone.
cannot believe the American people will
let this fight 60 to the ANA by default. If
only handful of the medical consumers of
this country would contribute voluntarily a
penny for each dollar the doctors have put
up under compulson, 1t would turn the tide
of battle
These contributions would do two things.
First, they would provide the CNH with few
thousand dollars to continue issuing factual
research data showing up the AMAs false
propaganda Second, they would provide
IN hat of