Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-09-07

p. v. NOTE: Frank Adams,
our guest columnist this week
is the Hennepin County Veter-
ans Service Officer. He is q long
time liberal whose interest In
human dignity and the rights
Of all people is well known and
he does not hesitate to state
his position. He Is a member Of
the Minneapolis school board.
BY FRANK e. ADAMS
In spite Of the setback that
medical care took at the hands of
the coalition of Southern Demo-
Gratis and Northern Republicans,
I have feeling that medical care
for our senior citizens must be
and will be a reality before long.
A great philosopher once made
a statement that is appropriate for
my feeling as I do concerning this
subject: Society and institutions
never stand perfectly still. Either
you move ahead or you slip back
wards. improvements, on the
other hand, just don't happen
without effort. They usually re-
suit from a strong will to i'm
prove"
Congressman Forand had this
strong will to improve, and as a
result in 1860 he introduced in
Congress what is known as the
Forand Bill. This bill asked for
medical care under social security.
The bill was defeated and in 1862
Senator Anderson and Congress-
man King took up the fight by
presenting another bill that is
called the understanding bill. This
bill is essentially the same as the
Forand bill in that it also asks for
medical care under social security.
Thousands Of people in this area
were in favor Of this bill for the
following reasons: (1) paying for
health care through social securi-
ty Is the only common sense meth
cd of minimizing the tragedy that
illness imposes on older people;
(2) benefits can be the same no
matter where the patient lives and
he can choose his own doctor and
hospital; 90 the new federal pay
ments can supplement whatever
he or his children provide through
individual effort and resources;
and az financing can be assured
through a small increase in social
security contributions by people
still working. Persons already re-
tired would pay nothing but
would share in the new program
just as they have in the past i'm
provements of the old-age surviv-
or's and disability assurances.
Those who state that there is no
need for such legislation can refer
to various studies. For example,
the Bookings Institution recently
published a study Of Herman
Somers and his wife, Anne Somers,
a husband and wife team of econ
omists.
Their findings stated that medi-
cal costs Of the aged appear to
average about one-third of their
income, while existing insurance
plans they conclude, pay no more
than one-sixth Of the cost for
those who actually have some in
surance coverage, and meet only
about one-fourteenth Of the total
medical costs for the aged as a
whole.
Roland H. Berg, who is medical
editor Of LOOK magazine, wrote
in an article: THE financial and
medical problems Of men and
women over IS are obvious. More
than half of these 10 million Amer
leans live on incomes Of less than
$50 per week. More than two
thirds get along on less than $40
per week. This compares with the
500 a week income Of the average
wage Garner under IS. While
struggling along on reduced in
comes, the aged face bigger doctor
and hospital bills than their jun
iors."
Still another aspect Of this mat
ter Of payment for health insur-