Milford chronicle., 1961-08-04
State Medical Group
States Its Position
continued from page one)

tives, which is considering an ad-
ministration proposal TO raise So
cial Security taxes and TO pay for
Social Security retirees' hospital
and nursing home care, within
limits. and for some types of doc
tors care. The proposal is oppos-
ed by the national hospital, nurs-
ing home. and medical associa-
tions. as well as a number of nom
medical organizations. DIR. VIII
liam o. LaMotte. Jr., of Whining
ton, chairman of the state medi-
cal society's legislative commit
tee, represented the group in
Washington.
The medical society's testimony
was based largely upon informa-
ton developed by the Welfare
Council for it's July report to Gov
ernor Carvel on the situation of
citizens of Delaware who were So
Years of age or Older, and who
were patients in general hospi-
tails during 1859. The conclusions
were based upon a 95To-100%
complete tabulation of all such pa
NiCAtos AC AOHOAl thttb
in 1869 about $3.50 of Delawar-
cans over So were either not hos
pitalized or could pay their hos
pital bills. OF those who were
hospitalized, S6.2%o paid their bills
from their private resources. The
report also said that five out of
nine patients over 60 years of age
had had hospital insurance.
A basic premise of the propos-
ed law. said DIR. LaMotte, is that
SO many elderly people cannot pay
hospital bills that a special feder-
al tax is justified to enable the
government to pay them for all re-
tired people receiving Social Sc
curity. He said that this is not
true, not only because of reason
ably good insurance coverage and
good payment experience by hos
pitfalls, but also because of the
small difference in the ability of
the over-65 and under-65 to pay.
He cited preliminary figures from
the Welfare Council. based upon
slightly over half of all hospital
admissions for all ages, which
indicate that SOC of all billings
to aged patients are paid, as
against $3.50 for patients under 65.
The go difference. he said, is no
reason to single older people out
as a special category. unwilling or
unable to care for themselves.
Furthermore, he said. old age as
sistance recipients in Delaware
have fallen nearly One-third in
the last ten years, while the over
So population has risen over one
third. He said that this was fur
Their evidence of a trend among
the aged to care for themselves.
The doctors said that they think
three major events of this century
have affected the position of to-
days old people: advances in med
icine, particularly in surgery, an
tibiotics and preventive care: the
great depression OF the 1905; and
the expansion of fringe benefits
such as health insurance and pen
sions during the 1940's and 1950's.
many more people living beyond
So. great difficulty for half a gen
Grafton in setting aside money
against the retirement years. and.
more recently. a strong trend to-
ward more adequate incomes ard
widespread health insurance
among retirees Of the recent past
and the foreseeable future DIR.
LaMotte pointed out that the pro-
portion of insured patients in hos
pitfalls during 1859 had ranged
from $3.50 in the group over IS
years to about out of 4 in the
group from $3.50 years. Pointing
out that insurance available to
older people has improved con-
siderably between 1949 and 1859,
he said the Society expects the
proportion of insured elderly pa
tients to expand as more and more
people reach IS, who have had a
chance to purchase insurance to
cover them in their later years.
This trend, he said, makes the
proposed law an inflexible, ire
tractabIe program to increase tax
es on an ever-increasing number
of workers to buy care for an
ever-decreasing proportion of
needy aged. Referring to the Kerr
Mills Law, which would provide
medical care on a federal-state
matching fund basis for elderly
patients with low incomes, the doc
tor quoted Welfare Council cost
estimates of about thirty-four cents
per Delawarean per year for hos
pital care. based upon 1859. with
increases probable in subsequent
years. Secretary Of Health, Edu-
cation and Welfare, Abraham Rib
icoff last week indicated that the
Social Security plan would cost
about $50 of the first $4,000 of
wages, or up to $34.32 An en-
plOyee would pay half that amount
The medical society has endorsed
the Kerr-Mills Law, for hospital
expenses. but has said that indi-
vidual physicians should not re-
ceive payments under it for the
time being.
In concluding paragraph, the
medical society said: Medically
speaking there are few II any dis
eases occurring only in old age
The same appears to be true of
economic troubles. Our expert
ence shows a preponderant abil-
4ty to pay all across the age spec
trum, and a certain proportion of
need restricted to no age group.
II we accept the premise that gov
eminent at any level should help
those who need help. and let those
take care of themselves who are
able To do 90 q tax nrnprarn To