We support the principle that each individual should plan for his health care in his older age. We believe that the extension of the Social Security Act is one of the best mechanisms to help to provide for prepaid health care. Each individual should be afforded the opportunity to pay in a dignified manner for his health care which would prevent him from becoming a burden to society and an object of charity. We would also like to point out that professional nursing has been supporting this kind of legislation since 1958 and reaffirmed its stand again at the 1960 American Nurses Association Biennial Convention. We believe that we are morally obligated to seek means to provide better ways of financing health care for these senior citizens. We further believe that the provision of the King bill will help to bring about improved financing of health care for this segment of the population. DEAR SIR: The Montana Nurses' Association wishes to advise the members of the 87th Congress that this organization is in agreement with the position of the American Nurses' Association with regard to extending health insurance coverage to recipients of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance as included in the Anderson-King bills. In 1958, the ANA House of Delegates, recognizing that certain groups in our population; namely, the aged, retired, and disabled, do not have adequate protection against the financial hazards of illness, adopted the following resolutions supporting the extension of the social security system to include health insurance coverage for these beneficiaries of the program: "Resolved, That the American Nurses' Association support the extension and improvement of the contributory social insurance to include health insurance for beneficiaries of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance; and be it further "Resolved, That nursing service, including nursing care in the home, be included as a benefit of any prepaid health insurance program." In 1960 the ANA House of Delegates reaffirmed this position and in supporting the extension of social security to include health insurance, indicated its concern for the health needs of many millions of Americans as well as its recognition that nurses have small incomes and on retirement will also be faced with the problems of maintaining a decent standard of living and securing needed medical care services. MNA requests that this letter be entered in the record of the hearings. Miss WAYA L. DIXON, President, MNA. NEW JERSEY STATE NURSES' ASSOCIATION, Newark, N.J., August 14, 1961. Hon. WILBUR D. MILLS, Chairman, Ways and Means Committee, MY DEAR MR. MILLS: The New Jersey State Nurses' Association wishes to go on record supporting the position taken by the American Nurses' Association in support of H.R. 4222 and S. 909. It is our understanding that the hearings on H.R. 4222 and S. 909 were concluded last Friday, but that the records will remain open through August 18 for communications to be included in the records. We would appreciate very much if the following statement from the New Jersey State Nurses' Association could become part of the official record. The New Jersey State Nurses' Association considers that essential health services should be made available to all people in our country without regard to their ability to pay for these services. We are cognizant of the fact that there is a segment of the population-particularly the disabled, retired, and agedwho are neither eligible nor able to avail themselves of voluntary health plans, since prepayment insurance plans have become an effective method of financing health services. The New Jersey State Nurses' Association considered and supports the method introduced by Representative Cecil King (Democrat, of California) and S. 909 introduced by Senator Clinton Anderson (Democrat, of New Mexico), representing extension and insurance for beneficiaries of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance and, also, that appropriate nursing service be included in the nursing care in the home on a prepaid insurance plan. The New Jersey State Nursing Association further wishes to support the principal of having appropriate nursing service in the nursing home in order to insure safe nursing care to those who need to leave their own homes and be placed in private or official nursing homes. U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR REPRESENTATIVE MILLS: This letter is written to set forth the New Mexico Nurses' Association's support of the position of the American Nurses Association concerning provision of health insurance benefits for recipients of oldage, survivors, and disability insurance. The American Nurses Association House of Delegates in 1958 and again in 1960 voted to support legislation that would include health insurance under the social security program. The New Mexico Nurses' Association emphatically endorses the provisions contained in the King bill, H.R. 4222, and requests that this statement of support be entered in the record of the hearing on this measure. Respectfully, Mrs. BEATRICE C. MARTIN, R.N., Executive Secretary, New Mexico Nurses' Association. Hon. WILBUR D. MILLS, NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION, Albany, N.Y., July 12, 1961. Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, DEAR MR. MILLS: We have just learned from the American Nurses Association, of which we are a constituent, that hearings will be held on the King bill, H.R. 4222 beginning July 24, 1961. At the 1960 Convention of the American Nurses Association delegates from New York State unanimously voted to reaffirm the position of the American Nurses Association taken in 1958 which was to support legislation that would include health insurance under the social security program. The resolution adopted in 1958 and reaffirmed in 1960 emphatically and succinctly states our belief and is as follows: "Whereas necessary health services should be available to all people in this country without regard to their ability to purchase; and "Whereas prepayment through insurance has become a major and an effective method of financing health services; and "Whereas certain groups in our population, particularly the disabled, retired, and aged, are neither eligible nor able to avail themselves of voluntary health insurance: Be it therefore "Resolved, That the American Nurses Association support the extension and improvement of the contributory social insurance to include health insurance for beneficiaries of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance; and be it further "Resolved, That nursing service, including nursing care in the home, be included as a benefit of any prepaid health insurance program." When the social security program was first enacted into law there were, I'm sure, many objections raised. It is now an accepted way of financing retirement; surely medical care is one aspect, second only to food and housing that should be included in any plan considered adequate to meet the needs of our aging population. It would seem wise also for persons to make a contribution while employed toward the care they might need in later years rather than, as so often is the case, place the entire burden on taxpayers and charitable institutions. In considering the bill in your committee we hope you will take into account the fact that as professional nurses we are, by virtue of our relationships with the sick and needy, strongly of the opinion that this type of legislation is beneficial and long overdue. Yours sincerely, KATHERINE E. REHDER, R.N., Executive Director. Representative WILBUR MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA STATE NURSES' ASSOCIATION, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE MILLS: The North Carolina State Nurses' Association joins with the American Nurses Association in support of legislation to extend the social security system to include health insurance benefits for recipients of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance. The American Nurses Association in 1958 voted to support such legislation and reaffirmed this position in 1960. ANA believes this to be the soundest method of providing health care for older citizens. The social security system has proved itself, and its extension to include health insurance benefits would permit people to pay themselves during their earning years for the assurance of adequate health care in their retirement years. Physicians continue to attempt to dissuade nurses on the local level from their endorsement of health benefits under the social security system, but the North Carolina State Nurses' Association and ANA continue in this position in spite of such pressure from members of the American Medical Association. We urge that the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives give favorable consideration to H.R. 4222. Sincerely yours, ATHA HOWELL, R.N. President, NCSNA. PENNSYLVANIA NURSES ASSOCIATION, Hon. WILBUR MILLS, Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means, DEAR MR. MILLS: The Pennsylvania Nurses Association, a constituent of the American Nurses Association and representing over 16,000 licensed professional nurses in Pennsylvania, expresses the hope of early and favorable consideration of H.R. 4222 which provides for health insurance benefits for recipients of oldage, survivors, and disability insurance. We also welcome this opportunity to share with you and your committee the problems of the aged which come within the scope of this association's activities. Nursing is the largest and most com plex of all the health professions, and its services are vital to the prevention and treatment of disease and injury to any age group. Our special concern for the problems of the aged is manifested in all that is done to improve nursing services for the public. One of the important functions of the Pennsylvania Nurses Association centers around the promotion of measures to insure adequate nursing service within this Commonwealth, including nursing benefits in prepaid health and medical care plans. Since 1958 we have supported the American Nurses Assoication in its efforts to secure the use of the social security insurance mechanism, employeremployee contributions during a person's working years, as a dignified approach to solving the problems of financing health care for the aged. With the enactment of H.R. 4222, necessary health services would be available to all people in this country without regard to their ability to purchase these services. We are pleased that this bill does provide for home nursing service. The inclusion of public health nursing service will do much to make home nursing care more readily available to the aged. Public health nursing agencies are finding that more and more of their visits to patients are made to aged persons with long-term illnesses. In Pennsylvania visiting nurse associations report over 70 percent of their calls are for the aging, and more prepared nurses are needed to render service to these people in their homes. In some instances, there is only 1 visiting nurse to serve a population of 20,000. By and large today, it is only through visiting nurse services that this type of care can be provided and which exists mainly in large urban areas. Small centers and rural areas have few facilities to care for aged patients in the home. We trust that you and your committee will give this matter your immediate attention and favorable consideration. Should you have any questions or otherwise want additional information we know that our ANA representative, Miss Julia C. Thompson, would indeed be pleased to furnish it. Sincerely yours, AGNES E. M. ANDERSON, R.N., TENNESSEE NURSES' ASSOCIATION, INC., Hon. WILBUR D. MILLS, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, MY DEAR MR. MILLS: As executive director of the Tennessee Nurses' Association, I have been asked by our membership to inform you of the position our organization takes regarding the Anderson-King bills and, in particular, the King bill, H.R. 4222, on which hearings will be held very shortly by the House of Representatives. The American Nurses' Association, of which we are a constituent, voted through its house of delegates in 1958 and 1960 to support legislation that would include health insurance under the social security program. Legislation proposed by Senator Anderson and Representative King would provide for specific health insurance benefits for recipients of old-age, survivors' and disability insurance. In spite of various pressures being brought against our nurses by members of the medical profession to speak against the extension of health insurance under social security, we feel that the public is entitled to this kind of provision for medical care in their later years, particularly those disabled, retired, or aged of the population who are neither eligible nor able to purchase some type of voluntary health insurance for themselves. Anyone familiar with medical services appreciates that it is more comfortable working with than against physicians. Nurses, in taking the stand we do, are not in an enviable position. In all good conscience, however, we must support the extensions and improvement of contributory social insurance to include those benefits which the King bill would provide. We request that this letter in support of H.R. 4222 be entered in the record of hearings on the bill. Very truly yours, LYNN B. WESTCOT, R.N. UTAH STATE NURSES' ASSOCIATION, Representative WILBUR MILLS, Salt Lake City, Utah, July 26, 1961. Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, DEAR REPRESENTATIVE MILLS: As members of the house of delegates of the American Nurses' Association in 1958 and in 1960 we voted to support legislation that would include health insurance under the social security program. This legislation has been much discussed at various meetings of our members and we continue strongly to support the ANA position, and urge that careful consideration be given to the testimony which our legislative representative will present at the hearings on the King bill, H.R. 4222. In some areas of our State, members of the medical association have approached individual nurses urging them to support the AMA position on health insurance and to inform ANA that they are so doing. These nurses indicate, however, that they assure the doctors that they believe our ANA position to be the one which considers the welfare of the patient. Again, we urge special attention to our ANA testimony and assure you that we are supporting you in this legislation. Sincerely yours, MINNIE H. WALTON, President, Utah State Nurses' Association. VIRGINIA STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION, Representative WILBUR MILLS, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, Richmond, Va., August 1, 1961. U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. MILLS: In 1958 and 1960 the American Nurses' Association of which the Virginia State Nurses Association is a constituent member voted to support legislation that would include health insurance under the social security program. The Board of Directors of the Virginia State Nurses Association, representing over 4,000 professional nurses in the State, would like to advise you that we are in support of the recent legislation introduced in the 87th Congress by Senator Clinton Anderson and Representative Cecil King to extend the social security system. We believe that it is essential that provisions in addition to the Kerr-Mills bill be made for health insurance benefits for elderly people. More and more nurses are being required to care for people in the older age bracket. They are increasingly aware of the financial problems which these patients face in securing adequate health care. The Anderson-King bill, we believe, would provide much needed assistance to these people beyond emergency hospital services. We earnestly request that the Committee on Ways and Means give careful consideration to this bill realizing its cost in dollars but being constantly aware of the many benefits which it will provide to people who need such assistance. We hope that the committee will vote favorably on this bill so that it may receive further consideration in the Congress. We are grateful indeed for the interest our congressional leaders have shown in the problems nurses face. We know that thoughtful consideration will be given to this legislation which nurses believe is vital to the health of our Nation. Sincerely yours, JULIA B. FISHER, R.N., |