St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-10-14

r., Minneapolis and Beverly Jones,
sofa, teacher and student at Como
Education Week observance actiV-
ing the first poster in the halls of
I case required more time than the
ordinary case, then with an explain
alton he should receive extra COM
pensation. I cannot see how the
government could refuse to reach
an agreement with the doctors as
to fees.
go The government paying the
medical bill would dictate the prac-
tice of medicine. This is not the
case in the Army, Navy, United
States Public Health Service, or
the Veterans Hospitals. The doc
tor in these organizations has as
much freedom of practice as the
privae physician! These are a
few examples of what can happen
to older persons without insurance
and to persons with insurance.
Some Case Histories
Mrs. -- age, husband was
railroad man and carried insur-
ance; died of a coronary. Mrs.
- continuing to pay for her
home; subsistence is husbands re-
tirement. She rented two rooms in
her home. Neither Mr.. nor Mrs.
- in hospital previously. No
insurance after Mr.. IS death.
Required study in the hospital for
backing out. Hospital bill over
81, 1000; doctor bills over $500. This
patient had to borrow money to
pay the hospital bill. She had to
rent the remainder of her home
and move with her sister to repay
tho Oh
Mr.. Fred a retired
railroad worker, never in the hos
pital, carried hospital instance I'M
til retired. Had a stroke and had
to be hospitalized. Hospital bill
over $4,000; doctors bill over $500.
Savings wiped out and money Dor
rowed to pay hospital bill. Mrs.
Fred ---, wife of Mr.. =
-, in hospital for diabetes,
broke an arm while in the hospital,
required surgery for the broken
arm and much longer hospital stay.
Again Mr.. had to borrow
money on his home to pay the hos
pital bill. Results-Mr.
back to work trying to pay back
borrowed money.
Mrs. Iona retired
| teacher from Texas, had insurance
until retired. Living on teacher
retirement. Came to Minneapolis
for an examination; had cancer of
the intestine Had an operation for
the condition Hospital bill over
SO, 800. Travel to and from Texas
and nursing care at home over
81 500. This bill was paid by one
of Mrs. --'s children. No
part of this bill is deductible for tax
purposes. Results-no money for
taxes; government dispossessing of
property, etc. for taxes.
Mrs. Lea -- -, member
of four children, had Blue Cross
insurance. She divorced her hus-
band but continued to pay the
premium on the insurance. Mrs.
- in the hospital after an auto
mobile accident. Blue Cross re-
fuses to pay the hospital bill on
the basis that the lady had not
notified them that she had divorced
her husband.
Such conditions as mentioned
above concerning older people is
the rule and not the exception. The
instance of Mrs. -- shows the
filmsy excuse insurance companies
will use to deny paying a bill. Blue
Cross however is one of the better
assurances. Imagine what happens
when persons are insured by some
other firms.
There are two methods in which
the people can receive insurance
that will be available when it Is
leeueO anu Will llOI use ShSuSCS "
avoid paying the bill. National
health insurance would be the best
because the government is already
organized and has had considerable
experience with insurance.
This of course is not likely to
occur because of the tremendous
amount of money that commercial
assurances and special interest
groups will spend to prevent ma
tional health insurance.
The next method would be that
h ealthy working individuals,
through the labor unions, form a
cooperative health insurance. AS a
cooperative it would come under
government supervision and thus
prevent some of the abuses that
have occurred in some of the union
welfare funds.
Much of what has been said