The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1961-07-14
By EVE EDSTROM
In WASHINGTON POST

The claims are endless, but the
nations ailing aged are convinced
they are false. They insist that the
Kerr-Mills law does not protect al
Senior citizens who cannot meet the
costs of serious or longtime illness.
They know that the Kerr-Mills Law
does not provide unlimited" benefits
with medical aid authorized for any
person over 65 who needs help"
They deny that the Kerr-Mills law
for the medically INDECENT is "being
put into operation in 46 states"
Yet each of these claims has been
made by the American Medical Asso-
citation in published advertisements
attacking President Kennedy's pro-
posal to provide health-care benefits
for the aged through Social Security.
And it can be expected that similar
claims will be made next month by
the ANA, when the House Ways and
Means Committee begins hearings
on the Presidents plan.
In it's official booklet as well as its
paid advertisements, the ANA insists
that social security financing of
health care is sftotally unnecessary"
because "Kerr-Mills will do the Job. y
1t states that under Kerr-Mills,
health care is authorized for any
(and any is italicized) person over
65 who needs help and that the
laws benefits are unlimited based
on need and local determination"
But performance under the Kerr
Mills law challenges it's proponents
contention that it provides medical
aid for 'fthose who need help"
A BIGGER RELIEF PROGRAM
The Kerr-Mills law, enacted by
Congress last September, is a relief
program with two provisions. First,
it provides more generous federal
grants for the medical care
IF aged relief recipients under a pro-
gram enacted by Congress in 1860.
The increased federal money has
brought few new states into the |
program. For the most part, however.
his provision protects no new people |
tut merely enables the states TO do a
'etter job for those already on relief.
The second provision establishes a
lew program called Medical Assist
nee for the Aged (MAA), which
cts up federal-state category of aid
or those who are INDECENT because
f illness but have resources that dis s
ualify them for relief.
l.
Only six states and two terri
tories have put the MAA program
into operation. In the six states,
with an aged population of 2.2 mil |
ion, only 27,482 persons received Y
MAA benefits, reports the Senate I
Committee on the Aging. While c
that is slightly more than / per b
cent of the total aged population
n those states, it is estimated that ]
10 and IL per cent an n
,ually require capitalization. G
Of the $4,000, only about 10000 C
ere new beneficiaries. The remain n
#, the Senate committee reports, tt
ere transfers from existing old age
rolls because some states lc
ceived additional federal funds if tt
Q cases, particularly those involving is
care, were handled is
der the MAA program. q
The committee says its figures rep ia
sent an. unduplicated count of re- sE
,ients obtained from the six states al
lereas Department of Health, Edu- nj
bion and Welfare statistics count az
} same individual more than once
the patient received service in more Y
IN 1 month. h
Medical care benefits, in some in g
noes, are SO limited as to be negli- f
lie. In Kentucky, for example, hos g
al care is 'limited to 8 days" for il