Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-27
PARTIAL TEXT
BY the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
- FOLLOWING is a partial tert
sof a message on health legiS-
sldtion transmitted to Con-
rhfess today by President
.Kennedy:
The basic resource of ma
ton is its people. Its strength
can be no greater than the
health and vitality of its pop
ulation. Preventable sickness,
disability and physical or men,
tai incapacity are matters of
both individual and national
concern. ..
'Basically. health care is a
responsibility of individuals and
families, Of communities and
voluntary agencies, of local
and State governments. But
the Federal Government shares
this responsibility by providing
leadership. guidance and sup
port in areas of national con-
Germ. And the Congress last
year recognized this RESPONSE
bility in important ways.
Health Insurance for the Aged
:. Private health insurance
has made notable advances in
recent years. But older people,
who need it most but can afford
it least, are still unable to
pay the high premiums made
necessary by their dispropor-
tionately heavy use of health
care services and facilities, if
eligibility requirements are to
be low and the scope of bene-
fits broad. Today, only about
half of our aged population
has any health insurance of
any kind-and most of these
have insufficient coveragc.
To be sure, welfare assist
ance, and Federal legislation to
help the needy or medically
INDECENT" will provide health
services in some instances. But
this kind of help is not only
less appealing, coupled as it is
with a means test, it reaches
very few of those who are not
eligible for public assistance
but are still not able to afford
the care they need.
I, therefore, recommend
again the enactment of a
health insurance program for
the elderly under the Social
Security System. By this means
the cost of health services in
later years can be spread over
the working years-and every
worker can face the future
with pride and confidence.
This program, of course, would
not interfere in any way with
the freedom of choice Of doc
tor, hospital or nurse It would
not specify in any way the
kind of medical OF health care
or treatment to be provided.
But it would establish a means
to pay for the following mini
mum levels of protection:
First - Impatient hospita
expenses for up to 80 days, in
excess of $40 per day for the
first nine days with a mini
mum payment by each person
of $500, and full costs for the
remaining 81 days.
Second-The cost Of nursing
home services up to 1870 days
Immediately after discharge
from a hospital. BY providing
nursing home care for twice as
long as that in the hospital,
the patient is encouraged to use
the less expensive facilities
when these will satisfy his re-
quirements.
Third-The cost of hospital
out-patient clinic diagnostic
services in excess of $40. These
benefits will reduce the need for
hospital admissions and en-
courage early diagnosis.
Fourth-The cost of COM
munity visiting nurse services
and related home health serv-
ices for a limited number of
visits. These will enable many
older people to receive proper
health care in their own homes.
:. They would be entirely
self financed by an increase in
social security contributions of
one quarter of l per cent each
on employers and employees and
by an increase in the maximum
earnings base from 81, 300 year
to 5000 a year. I am not
unmindful of the fact, however,
that none of our social insur-
ance systems is universal in it's
coverage-and that direct pay
ments may be necessary to pro-
vide help to those not covered
for health insurance by social
security. -.
Health Professions Personnel
-. In an earlier message this
year, I repeated my recon-
mendation for Federal aid for
the construction and expan-
sion of schools of medicine,
oSteopathy, dentistry and pub