Medicine: Health Insurance for All

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Senator Russell Long, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee who has been pushing a more modest plan for coverage of catastrophic illness since 1970, has now been joined by Senator Abraham Ribicoff. The two have proposed an $8.9 billion, three-part package that would expand Medicaid eligibility to cover low-income families, have the Government pay all hospital costs after 60 days and all medical bills exceeding $2,000 per year.

While many Senators and Congressmen feel a need for comprehensive insurance, there is a lack of consensus about its structure and financing. There seems little likelihood that the total Administration plan will be adopted in the immediate future. But the Administration's new interest in health has increased the possibility of congressional action this year on coverage for at least catastrophic illness. Some Congressmen, in fact, are so certain that a bill will come to the floor that they are already preparing amendments to expand it.