Evening star., 1954-01-18
Eisenhower Proposes Health Insurance Program

hotDeT'S message to- Congress
today on his health program
follotDS:.
/ submit herewith for the
consideration Of the Congress
recommendations to improve
the health Of the American
people.
Among the concerns Of our
Government for the human
problems of our citizens, the
subject of health ranks high.
For only as our citizens enjoy
good physical and mental
health can they win for them
selves the satisfactions Of q
fully productive. useful life.
The Health Problem
The progress Of our people
toward better health has been
rapid. Fifty years ago their
average life span was 40 years;
today it is 68 years. In 1900
there were 676 deaths from in
fectious diseases for every
100000 of our people; now
there are Sc. Between 1916
and 1850, maternal deaths per
100000 live-births dropped
from 622 to SO. In 1916. 10 per
cent of the babies born in this
country died before their first
birthday; today. less than s.
per cent die in their first year.
This rapid progress toward
better health has been the re-
suit of many particular ef-
forts, and of one general eff
fort. The general effort is
the partnership and teamwork
of private physicians and
dentists. and of those engaged
in public health. with research
scientists. sanitary engineers,
the nursing profession and the
many auxiliary professions re-
lated to health protection and
care in illness. To all these
dedicated people. America
owes most of its recent prog
reSs toward better health.
Yet. much remains to be
done. Approximately 224.000
of our people died of cancer
last year. This means that
cancer will claim the lives Of
Is million of our 160 million
people unless the present can
Ger mortality rate is lowered.
Diseases of the heart and
blood vessels alone now take
over $4,000 lives annually.
Over Z million Americans are
estimated to suffer from ar
Thrills and rheumatic diseases.
Twenty-Five thousand lose
their sight each year. Diabetes
annually adds 100, 900 to its
roll of sufferers. Two million
of our fellow citizens now
handicapped by physical disa-
bilitieS could be. but are not,
rehabilitated to lead full and
productive lives. Ten million
among our people will at some
time in their lives be hos
pitalized with mental illness.
There exist in our Nation
the knowledge and skill to re-
duce these figures, to give US
all still greater health protec-
ton and still longer life. But
this knowledge and skin are
not always available to all our
people where and when they
are needed. Two, of the key
problems inethe field of health
today are the distribution OF
medical facilities and the costs
of medical care.
Not all Americans can enjoy
the best in medical care-be-
cause not always are the requi-
site facilities and professional
personnel so distributed as to
be available to them. particu-
larly in our poorer commune
ties and rural sections. There
are. for example, 159 practicing
physicians for every 100000 Of
the civilian population in the
Northeast United States. This
is to be contrasted with 126
physicians in the West, lie in
the North-Central area. and 90
In the South. There are, for
another example. only four or
1--WE hospital beds for each
1000 people in some States. as
compared with 10 or IL IN
others.
Even where the best in medi-
cal care is available. its costs
are often a serious burden.
Major. long-term illness can
become a financial catastro-
phe for a normal American
family. Ten per cent of Amer
ican families are spending to-
day more than $500 a year for
medical care. OF our people
reporting incomes under $4,000.
about 6 per cent spend almost
a fifth of their gross income for
medical and dental care. The
total private medical bill OF the
Nation now exceeds So bill
lion a year-an average
of nearly 5000 a family-and it
is rising. This illustrates the
seriousness of the problem Of
medical costs.
We must, therefore. take
further action on the prob
lens of distribution Of medi-
cal facilities and the costs OF
medical care. but We must be
careful and far-sighted in the
action that we take. Free
dom, consent, and individual
responsibility are fundamental
to our system. In the field OF
medical care, this means that
the traditional relationship Of
the physician and his patient.
and the right of the individual
to elect freely the manner OF
his care in illness, must be
preserved.
In adhering to this princi-
pie, and rejecting the sociali-
zation of medicine. we can still
confidently commit ourselves
to certain national health
goals.