Evening star., 1961-02-09
HEALTH

i d
Continued From First Page
vided by any hospital. The
program is q sound one and
entirely in accordance with the
traditional American system of
placing responsibility on the
ampleye and the employer,
rather than on the general tax
Hayers, to help finance retire.
ment and health costs"
sse G. o. P. Maps Fight
Senator Dirksen and Rep
resentative Halleck, Republi-
can leaders of the Senate and
House. made it clear today
they will continue to oppose
the social security approach to
aged medical care, as they did
last year.
Mr.. Halleck disputed the
Democratic argument that the
new medical care program
would involve no additional
costs because of the social Sc
csIrity financing. He said that
whenever payroll taxes are in
creased it puts an additional
cost on the workers.
I'VE might do well to wait
and see how the medical care
program we passed last year
works before changing it." said
Mr.. Halleck.
"Who pays for that plan?"
. reporter inquired.
Mr.. Halleck replied that was
an arrangement under which
the Federal Government aided
State-controlled programs.
Key Features
The key features of the Ken
nedy proposal on health care
for the aged are:
%Coverage-Benefits would be
available to men and women
over IS who are eligible for
social security or railroad re-
tirement benefits. Administra-
ton officials said this would
cover 14.2 million Of the 1877
million Americans Who will be
over IS in 1868. They said an
additional 100000 would re-
ceive health benefits under
Federal employe retirement
programs, 100000 under vet
erans' pension plans and Is
million under the public assist
ance program embodied in the
Kerr Mills bill passed by Con-
greSS last year. That would.
by their estimates, leave 500 900
aged without some form Of
publicly administered health
protection.
BenefitS-For any illness the
plan would provide up to 80
days Of disqualification. with
full payment Of costs over $40
Q day for the first nine days
and all costs for the remaining
81 days. i
It would also provide the full
cost Of up to $50 days Of
skilled nursing home care"
To promote transfer from hos
pital to nursing home as quickly
as possible, the plan would pro-
vide q maximum Of $50 units Of
care, with one day In o hos
pital or two days in q nursing
home constituting q single unit,
It would pay full cost Of out
patient clinic diagnostic serv-
ices over $40.
Finally, it would provide up
to 240 days Of community visit
ing. nurse services and related
home health services.
Financing - The program
would be financed by a one
quarter Of / per cent increase in
the social security tax on en-
ploye and employer and by an
increase in the maximum earn
ing base for social security
taxes from $4,000 a year to
$1,000 a year.
If the program Is passed by
Congress this year, health
benefits would begin July /.
1862. The effect on social
security taxes for an employe
earning $1,000 a year or more
would be as follows: :@
The employe is now paying
$144 a year, at the rate Of 3
per cent on a $4,000 maximum
tax base. On January !, 1862,
the tax base would be increased
to 5000. raising his social
security tax for the year to $3.50.
On January /, 1868, the one
quarter Of ! per cent increase
to finance health benefits
would become effective, along
with a previously scheduled
one half Of / per cent increase
to finance retirement pensions
and other social security pro-
grams. His tax for the year
would rise to $187.50.
On January /, 1866, the tax
is scheduled to rise another
one half Of / per cent to
finance the existing social
security programs. His tax
would increase to $212.50.
On January !. 1869, another
one half of per cent increase