Salem County Medical Society, State of New Jersey, George A. Nitshe, Schloss, Irvin P., legislative analyst, American Foundation for the Blind, Schlotterbeck, Karl T., director, economic security program, Chamber of Commerce of the United States, letter dated August 3, 1959, to Con- Schoemann, Peter T., general president, United Association of Journeymen Schwimmer, Dr. Julius, medical director, Amalgamated Laundry Workers Page 685 640 631 Shands, Dr. Alfred R., Jr., president, Medical Society of Delaware, state- ment in form of a letter addressed to Congressman Mills.. Shaw, Barclay, secretary, The National Association of Insurance Brokers, 698 Shecter, George O., administrator, American Hospital, letter dated July 206 Shy, Frank S., Associated Industries of Rhode Island, Inc., letter dated Simpson, Lonnie, Simpson Oliver Implement Co., letter dated July 9, 1959, to Hon. J. Floyd Breeding, a Representative in Congress from the State Souster, Dr. B. B., president, Minnesota State Medical Association, letter dated July 17, 1959, with resolution enclosed, to Congressman Mills.... South Carolina Medical Association, Dr. Joseph P. Cain, Jr., president- South Dakota State Medical Association, statement. Sprout, William L., M.D., secretary, Salem County Medical Society, telegram dated July 16, 1959, to Congressman Mills. Stahl, Steve, chairman, national taxpayers conference, Oklahoma Public Expenditures Council, letter dated July 13, 1959, to Congressman Mills-- Stronach, William C., executive director, the American College of Radi- ology, letter dated July 14, 1959, to Congressman Mills.. Swartz, Dr. Frederick C., chairman, Committee on Aging, American Medical Association, preliminary presentation requested by Senator Patrick V. McNamara, of Michigan before his subcommittee.--. Textile Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, William Pollock, general 691 Tompkins, Patrick A., commissioner of public welfare, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, resolution of Association of Massachusetts Public Wel- United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, Peter T. Schoe- mann, general president, letter dated July 17, 1959, to Congressman Vermont State Medical Society, Getty Page, letter dated July 7, 1959, to Virginia State Dental Association, Dr. Myron E. Henderson, secretary- treasurer, letter dated July 31, 1959, to Congressman Mills... Walters, Thomas G., operations director, Government Employees' Council Wegryn, Dr. Louis S., president, Association of American Physicians and Weise, Dr. Elwood C., Sr., Connecticut State Medical Society, statement-- 206 683 646 687 619 Williams, Hon. Harrison A., Jr., a U.S. Senator from the State of New Jersey, letter dated July 16, 1959, with a report by Mrs. Eone Harger, director, Division of Aging, New Jersey Department of Health, and a speech by Gov. Robert B. Meyner, of New Jersey, dated June 13, 1959, enclosed, to Congressman Mills.. Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce of North Carolina, Royall R. Wood, Dr. Donald E., Indiana State Medical Association, statement. Wyoming State Medical Society, Byron Hirst, letter dated July 16, 1959, Zablocki, Hon. Clement J., a Representative in Congress from the State of Letter dated July 16, 1959, with a resolution enclosed, to Congressman Letter from Gerald P. Caffrey, municipal reference librarian, Mil- Telegram from Stanley J. Witkowski, city clerk, city of Milwaukee, 715 652 653 653 684 255 253 253 HOSPITAL, NURSING HOME, AND SURGICAL BENEFITS FOR OASI BENEFICIARIES MONDAY, JULY 13, 1959 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D.C. The committee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to notice, in the committee hearing room, New House Office Building, Hon. Wilbur D. Mills (chairman of the committee) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please be in order. In accordance with prior notice, the committee this morning is beginning 5 days of hearings on the bill introduced by our colleague on the committee from Rhode Island, Hon. Aime J. Forand, H.R. 4700, to amend the Social Security Act to provide insurance for the cost of hospital, nursing home and surgical service for persons eligible for old-age and survivors insurance benefits. The Chair is also aware that our colleague on the committee from Montana, Hon. Lee Metcalf, has a similar bill pending before the committee, as is true also of certain other Members of the House. The Chair is aware that a very large number of individuals and organizations requested to be heard on this legislation, and the Chair observes that the committee has a very heavy schedule and that a limited time was available to be set aside for these particular hearings. Consequently, it was necessary that the time of the witnesses be divided in accordance with the total time available and the number of witnesses requesting to be heard. Allocations of time were made on an impartial basis as between the proponents and opponents and assigned accordingly. While only 1 week was available at this time for these hearings, the Chair observes that just 1 year ago social security hearings were conducted by the committee, at which some 190 witnesses appeared and presented to the committee over 1,200 printed pages of testimony, much of which was on the Forand bill of the last Congress. The hospitalization provisions of that bill were almost identical with H.R. 4700, the bill now pending before the committee. That prior testimony of a year ago will also be available to the committee. The Chair further notes that the report of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare on the feasibility of use of the social security system for payment of hospital benefits has been submitted. The information in this report is therefore also available to the committee. The Chair wishes to express appreciation to all of the witnesses for their cooperation with regard to the orderly scheduling of the hearings. 44432-59 1 Without objection, following this statement, a copy of the bill on which the hearings are being conducted will be placed in the record, along with the press release announcing the hearings. [H.R. 4700, 86th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code so as to provide insurance against the costs of hospital, nursing home, and surgical service for persons eligible for old-age and survivors insurance benefits, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Untied States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Social Security Amendments of 1959". TITLE I-AMENDMENTS TO TITLE II OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT SEC. 101. (a) Title II of the Social Security Act is amended by adding after section 225 the following new section: "HOSPITALIZATION, NURSING AND SURGICAL INSURANCE "Eligibility for Insurance SEC. 226. (a) (1) The cost of hospital or nursing home services furnished to any individual during any month for which he is entitled to monthly benefits under section 202 (whether or not such benefits are actually paid to him) or is deemed entitled to such benefits under the provisions of paragraph 2, or the cost of such services furnished to him during the month of his death where he ceases to be entitled by reason of his death, and the cost of surgical services which are not of an elective nature, shall, subject to the provisions of this section, be paid from the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund to the hospital, physician, and nursing home which furnished him the services. Services to be paid for in accordance with the provisions of this section include only services provided in the United States. "(2) For purposes of this section, (A) any individual who would upon filing application therefor be entitled to monthly benefits for any month under section 202 shall, if he files application under this section within the time limits prescribed in section 202(j), be deemed, for purposes of this section only, to be entitled to benefits for such month, (B) such individual shall, whether or not he files application under this section, be deemed to be entitled to benefits under section 202 for such month for purposes of determining whether the wife, husband, or child of such individual comes within the provisions of clause (A) hereof, and (C) any individual shall, for purposes of this section, be deemed entitled to benefits under section 202 if such individual could have been deemed under clauses (A) or (B) of this paragraph to have been so entitled had he not died during such month. "(3) For purposes of paragraph (2), an individual's application under this section may, subject to regulations, be filed (whether such individual is legally competent or incompetent) by any relative or other person, including the hospital, physician, or nursing home furnishing the hospital, surgical, and nursing home services and, after such individual's death, his estate. "(4) Payments may be made for hospital services furnished under this section to an individual during his first sixty days of hospitalization in a twelvemonth period that begins with the first day of the first month in which the individual received hospital services for which a payment is made under this section, and during his first sixty days of hospitalization in each succeeding twelve-month period; and for nursing home services furnished under this section to an individual if the individual is transferred to the nursing home from the hospital, and if the services are for an illness or condition associated with that for which he received hospital services: Provided, That the number of days of nursing home services for which payments may be made shall, in any twelve-month period as described above, not exceed one hundred and twenty less the number of days of hospital services (in the same twelve-month period) for which payments are made under this section. “(5) The provisions of section 205 relating to the making and review of determinations shall be applicable to determinations as to whether the costs of hospital, nursing home, and surgical services furnished an individual may be paid for out of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund under this section, and the amount of such payment. |