Medicine: Loophole for 7,000.000

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The opponents of national health insurance argue that it is not necessary, because two-thirds of the U.S. people can afford to pay for voluntary insurance. The argument has been effective; against it the Truman-Ewing plan (TIME, Feb. 20, 1950 et seq.) has got nowhere. But last week Oscar Ewing, Federal Security Administrator, who had been going over the opposition's argument for loopholes, thought he had found one big enough to drive an ambulance through.

Oldsters of 65 or more are virtually cut off from the benefits of voluntary hospitalization insurance. If they have bought such insurance earlier, they often find that the benefits end abruptly or are cut in half when they reach 65. To buy new insurance after 65 is either impossible or prohibitively expensive.

Fair Dealer Ewing announced a plan (which he has asked President Truman to send to Congress) to give free hospitalization up to 60 days a year to all over 65 who are covered by social security. There are 5,500,000 of them, and Ewing would make no distinction between those who have actually begun drawing social-security benefits and those who have kept on working. In addition, his proposal would cover 1,100,000 children and 400,000 mothers, mainly survivors of insured workers who have died.

There was no sure way of telling the cost of paying the hospital bills of these 7,000,000; Ewing's estimate for the first year was $200 million. But, said he, there is no need to raise additional taxes; the social-security fund is already taking in plenty of money to pay for the plan. The Government would not go into the hospital business; it would simply reimburse hospitals for care of the patients. Not included: long-term hospitalization for such things as mental illness or tuberculosis; expensive drugs, or any doctors' bills.

An astute politician like Ewing would scarcely overlook the political implications of his plan. Said he: "It's no giveaway—these people have already paid for it" (through social security).