The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1950-11-10


another $40, 100000 of money icon
tributed" by big monopoly corpora
lions. The money was spent in a gigan
tic propaganda campaign to convince
Americans they don't need or want
a national health insurance program.
A fraction of the money thrown
away on this drive to hold back pro-
gress would buy complete medical
care for every member of Mine-Mill
and his family for years.
Advertisements sponsored by ANA
"front" organizations appeared in
900 daily and weekly newspapers,
in 80 national magazines, 81 Sunday
newspaper supplements and over l.,
600 radio stations. Not penny went
for ads in labor, farm or coop papers.
ANA collected it's money through
$25 assessments on doctors in county
medical societies, to which most
doctors are forced to belong by eco
nomic pressure. If they don't belong
they can't practice in certain hos
pitfalls, can't get specialist training,
and there's interference with refer
rails from one doctor to another.
The $19,OOO,OOO came from such
outfits as patent drug companies
and the nations "a biggest insur-
ance companies who said they
would bring up heavy advertising
artillery to back the ANA cam
paign'.'
ANA also gets lobbying help from
the NAM, National Association of
Real Estate Boards, National Cham
Der of Commerce, and the Committee
for Constitutional Government, which,
even the CLIO brands as a fascist or
ganization.
The big lie is that the people don't
need national health program. The
truth is that voluntary insurance
programs cover only one-tenth of the
and are mostly inadequate
anyway.
ANA has been reactionary on
such matters from the beginning. In
1912 it bitterly opposed work
Blue Cross "crackpot scheme"
Now Blue Cross is fine with ANA
as long as it slaves off more effect
i've measures.
In 1913 the National Health Con-
ference estimated that 20 per cent of
present deaths are preventable. In the
last war 40 per cent of the nations |
young men couldn't pass the draft |
and one out of six rejectees |
had remediable or preventable i'll /
nesses, ANA opposes federal aid to
medical education.
ANA plays on peoples fears by
harping on Socialism" VS..
the American Way"
The symbols it uses are calculated
% stir up hate as we'll as fear, like
he picture of a doctor and a baby
With the question: Do you want politi-
al interference in the relationship"
Creeping socialism, political medicine,
overnment control-these are AMA's
avorite catchwords.
Hoover's secretary of the inter-
Tor, DR.. Ray Lyman Wilbur, made
report on the Nations health 4
back in 1882 simply indicating the s
need for more medical care, and e
ANA screamed: Socialism, COM
munism, melting to revolution
The timing of AMA's current cam
'aign is obviously political. Organ
zed medicine wants to buy the No
ember elections, and it wants to
revent any progress in fields other
han medicine, too (
Witness the June, 1850, report to I
he AMA's House of Delegates from .
IS Co-ordinating Committee hailing /
medicines campaign +. to protect
IL the basic freedoms of the Ameri-
an people and to stop the march of
tate socialism in this country" !.
ANA takes credit for the defeat /
Florida's Senator Claude Pepper Q
nd North Cardinals Frank Graham. a
ow its cunning for Utah's Senator Il
lbert Thomas. (Thomas was de- I
1t is the fact that they e
LII ~