Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1960-06-11
Liberal Senate Democrats Offer
New Bill On Health Care For AGED


A new drive has been launched
on Capitol Hill to win.passage this
session Of legislation to finance
health care for the adged through
the social security system.
With the Forand bill stalled in
in the House Ways and Means
Committee, Sen. Pat Mcnamara
(D-Mich.) and Is other liberal
Democrats introduced in the Senate
and insurance plan geared to social
security but also providing federal
contributions to cover some 3 mil
lion oldsters not receiving retire.
ment benefits.
The Mcnamara bill-far broader
than the labor-backed measure in
troduced by Rep. Anne J. Forand
(D-R.I.)-would provide payments
for out-patient diagnostic service,
disqualification, nursing home care
and home health services, and par
tial payment for expensive drugs.
Broader Than Forand Bill
By contrast, the Forand bill
would provide only hospital and
nursing care. Both measures would
be financed by increases Of one
quarter of 1 percent in the social
security taxes levied on both en-
ployers and employees. This would
mean a maximum additional tax
of $12 a year each.
The filing of the Mcnamara pro-
posal came as a belated Admins
tration substitute-geared to fed
eral-state subsidies for private in
surance companies came under
fire from several quarters.
Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller (R-
N. W fatty rejected the White
House suggestion that a national
medical program should be financed
out of the general revenues Of fed
eral and state governments and
again endorsed the principle of So
cial security financing of health
care program.
Pointing to the heavy burden that
the bill would place on the states,
Rockefeller said that even as veal
thy a state as New York would
"find it difficult" to raise it's share
out Of general revenues. AS pro-
posed by the Administration, the
federal government would pay a
acknowledgements subsidy to pri-
viate insurance funds, and the state
governments would be expected to
raise a similar sum.
Democrats Attack
Democratic Gov. Edmund G.. Pat
Brown of California assailed the
plan as a "sub-minimum proposal
which tries to dump a major part
of federal fiscal burden on hard
pressed state governments" and
Democratic Gov. G. Mennen Will
liams (Mich.) branded it "irres-
ponsible," noting that many states
are unable or unwilling" to as
sumo this responsibility.
Right-wing elements in Eisen-
hower's own party also attacked
the proposal-but for different
reasons. Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-
Ariz.) called it "socialized medi-
cine" and the American Medical
Association, which has consistently
opposed all health care measures,
termed the White House plan "un-
acceptable" The majority of older
people, said the ANA, "can afford
health care.
Earlier, the AFL-CIO Executive
Council had assailed the Admin
istration's subsidy proposal, declar-
ing it had evidently been shaped
to meet the political demands of
an election year rather than the
urgent needs Of the aged"
Auto Workers Pres. Walter p.
Reuther, in a letter to Eisenhower,
said the plan would impose extra
charges and heavy costs on older
people (and) would allow COM
mercial insurance carriers to profit
at the expense of the aged"
White House Plan
Under the White House plan,
elderly persons on public assistance
would receive free coverage. A
means test would be applied to all
other retirees, and single oldsters
with less than $4,000 a year in an
nual income and couples with under
$4,000 a year would pay an annual