Evening star., 1962-05-25

conducting a poll of it's en-
tire membership so as to pre-
sent in statistical form their
opinions concerning the
King Anderson bill. The re-
suits are not yet available,
but the outcome does not ap-
pear to be in doubt. A hand
vote was taken at the society
business meeting on May is,
1862. Only l of the 40 mem
bers present voted in favor
of King-Anderson. This lone
physician is a pediatrician.
AS the administration in
tensifies its offensive and
physicians react by speeding
up their counter-offensive,
facts are being obscured by
opinion. Intellect becomes
Subservient to emotion. For
the sake Of those who wish
to base their opinion on facts,
there are several points which
should be re-emphasized and
a number of distortions
which should be corrected.
The essentials of the stand
taken by the overwhelming
majority of practicing ply
sicians and their national
organization. the American
Medical Association, are as
follows:
l. Elderly patients have
been receiving excellent medi-
cal care adequately financed
by their own resources, cur
rently available forms Of in
surance, Kerr Mills funds and
the sympathetic generosity Of
their physicians. Nobody,
young or old, is being denied
medical care because Of fl
nancial factors.
2. Tying medical care Of
the elderly to the Social Sc
curity System is not only un-
necessary but would be ex-
tremely expensive. During the
first few years of operation
of the plan, approximately SO
billion of increased taxes
would be siphoned away from
the wage-earner, diminishing
his opportunity to save for
his later years annually as
he saw fit. Services provided
by the Government would be
much more expensive for the
individual than they are un-
der the present system.
3. Government compulsion
destroys individual initiative
and self-reliance. Physicians
love their elderly patients
even more than the present
administration does and have
a higher regard for their de-
sire to be independent and
free.
4. The King-Anderson. bill
established the framework for
Federal control of hospitals,
nursing homes and $4,000
physicians. Of you doubt
this, read the bill.) Dicta-
torial powers are placed in
the hands of one man-the
Secretary of Health, Educa-
ton and Welfare. In his
TV appearance of May 2,
President Kennedy dismissed
Britain's socialized medical
program as being irrelevant
to the present issue. Doesn't
he know that the British La
Dor Party started that ball
rolling by first gaining gov
ernment control of the hos
pitals?
Gross distortion of the is
sues commenced on May 6,
1862 when Secretary of La
Dor Goldberg vigorously crit
icized the medical profession
in a speech at the Albert Elm
stein College of Medicine. He
said he was shocked and
Mortified" by a resolution
signed by more than 200 New
Jersey doctors. He said that
they had publicly announced
that they would not treat pa
tients covered by the King
Anderson bill. Secretary Gold
berg correctly attributed the
resolution to approximately
200 physicians practicing in
New Jersey, but he complete
ly misinterpreted what they
said. The doctors simply and
directly stated that they
would not practice within the
structure of the King-Ander-
son bill should it become law.
They would not break the
law, but merely avoid situa-
tions where the law might ap-
ply. Medical care would be
denied no one. Those under
IS would not be involved and
those IS or older could re-
imburse the physician out CT
their own pocket. through in
surance, or Kerr Mills funds.