OCR Text |
Show Medics Develop Plan To Provide Health Protection The American Medical Association Assoc-iation has announced development develop-ment of a country-wide system of voluntary sickness insurance protection pro-tection to be operated on a nonprofit non-profit basis by local medical groups. Details of the program, including costs, benefits and standards, now are being worked out. The average cost to any individual in-dividual policyholder enrolled under the coordinated voluntary system will be "considerably less" than the $144 annual payroll pay-roll deduction suggested under the President's conpulsory health insurance program. Local prepayment plans now in operation must conform to the following standards in order to become part of the new proposed nationwide system: (1) They must have the approval approv-al of the state or county medical society in the area in which they nnpratp. ! (2) The medical profession in the area must assume responsibility responsibil-ity for the medical service included in-cluded in the benefits. (3) The local plans must provide pro-vide free choice of a qualified doctor of medicine and maintain the personal, confidential relationship rela-tionship between patient and physician. (4) They must be organized and operated to provide the greatest possible benefits in medical care to the subscriber. The medical profession is working to perfect a national voluntary health system because it believes that is the only way the American people can continue con-tinue to enjoy a high standard of medical care. It also believes the American people prefer voluntary volun-tary action to complusion. |