Washington Letter
(From a Special Correspondent)April 4, 1949.
New Health Bills Emphasize Voluntary Participation
During the last week of March, new bills were introduced in both House and Senate calling for federal support of voluntary health insurance plans and of medical education, but on a voluntary rather than a compulsory basis. Principal attention was focused on the bipartisan bill (S.1456), cosponsored by Senators Hill, O'Conor, Withers, Aiken and Morse, which is designed to broaden coverage by existing prepayment medical and hospital care plans. Another major bill, S.1453, has for its purpose the alleviation of the shortage of physicians, dentists and allied professional personnel by subsidizing their training institutions and providing for scholarships. Its sponsors are Senators Pepper, Murray, Humphrey and Neely. A few days earlier Rep. W. M. Wheeler, (Democrat, Georgia) introduced in the House H.R. 3828, which would authorize federal loans to professional schools and their students.Further