Mr. PHILIP R. RODGERS, UNITED STATES SENATE, July 25, 1947. COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, Committee Clerk, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, United States Capitol, Washington, D. C. DEAR MR. RODGERS: Will you please insert the attached correspondence in the record of the hearings on S. 545 and S. 1320. If possible, it should appear at the end of the transcript for July 11. Sincerely yours, JAMES E. MURRAY. COMMITTEE FOR THE NATION'S HEALTH, INC., Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, United States Senator, Washington 25, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: As you will undoubtedly have noted from the transcript of the hearings held before the Senate Health Subcommittee on July 11, Senator Donnell questioned Dr. Michael M. Davis and myself at length regarding a film strip produced by ERG Productions and distributed by Current History Films. In our testimony, we stated that we had given ERG Productions technical information in the preparation of the strip at their request. Enclosed you will find a copy of the letter received by the committee from ERG Producers, dated February 18, requesting our assistance and our letter of February 21 in reply. Unfortunately we were not questioned about or given an opportunity to bring out the fact that we have received many hundreds of requests for information and technical assistance from other organizations and individuals. We have received requests for information from both Congressmen and Senators. For example, on March 10, we received a letter from Carter Manasco, Member of Congress from the Seventh District of Alabama, asking us to send material to one of his constituents. We have received more than 100 requests from city, county, and State libraries for our material. For example, on March 26, 1947, we received a request from Mr. Charles Compton, Librarian, St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, Mo. He specifically requested the following material: What is National Health Insurance? What the National Health Act Would Mean to Businessmen. What the National Health Act Would Mean to Veterans. We have received more than 40 requests for material from public and private schools throughout the country. For example, we have received requests from the Germantown Academy in Philadelphia and from the Palo Alto Senior High School in Palo Alto, Calif. We have received more than 60 requests from university libraries for material. For example, on December 3, 1946, we received a letter from Mr. J. Gomley Miller, librarian of the New York States School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, of which Senator M. Ives was dean. We have, in addition, been consulted by feature writers for large magazines and scrip writers for national hook-ups. It is both our purpose and our privilege to disseminate information dealing with the President's five-point national health program. The Committee for the Nation's Health, as you know, is a nonpartisan organization directed by people who are of the conviction that they can effectively help build a strong America by improving the health of the American people. It resents any attempt to identify this endeavor directly or inferentially with the program of un-American organizations. We would appreciate having this letter and the enclosed correspondence inserted in the record of the hearings held on S. 545 and S. 1320. Sincerely yours, JOSEPH H. LOUCHHEIM, Erecutive Director. Mr. SAMUEL ROBERT, ERG Productions, New York 3, N. Y. FEBRUARY 21, 1947. DEAR MR. ROBERT: Under separate cover I am sending you Senate Committee Print No. 5 entitled "Medical Care Insurance." On page 52 you will find a table giving the distribution of physicians according to net income. You will note from this table that 40.7 percent of the nonsalaried physicians had net incomes of less than $3,000 during the year 1941. Appendix B, starting on page 178, contains a detailed comparison of published studies dealing with the income of physicians. The figures you quoted to me in your letter for the year 1929 are correct. In that year the average net income was $5,467 for physicians in private practice, however, as you know averages are overweighted by a few very large incomes. I believe, therefore, that it is more accurate to use the median figure instead of the average. The median net income in 1939 was $3,705. Thus in that year half the doctors had net incomes of less than $3,705, and half had net incomes of more. I look forward to the opportunity of reading your script, and wish to assure you that our committee is anxious to be of every possible service to you. Sincerely yours, JOSEPH H. LOUCHHEIM, Executive Director. ERG PRODUCTIONS, New York 3, N. Y., February 18, 1947. New York 19, N. Y. COMMITTEE FOR THE NATION'S HEALTH, GENTLEMEN: We are producing a film strip illustrating the need for prepaid medical insurance. One of the points covered is the income of physicians during prewar years. We were given some data on this but we are not positive on how reliable it is. This is our information: "Taking a highly prosperous year, 1929, we find the following: The net average income of the American doctor was $102 a week. Half the doctors earned less than $75 a week and many had an income of around $50 weekly." Could you help us by either confirming the correctness of these figures or giving us more authoritative ones. Please give us the source, also. When our film is completed, and before we issue it to the public, we would like to have someone in your committee check it for accuracy. Could this be arranged? Accept our sincerest appreciation for any cooperation you may be able to extend us. Very truly yours, SAMUEL ROBERT. Senator SMITH. The meeting will stand recessed until the 23d of July at 9:30. It is impossible for the committee to meet this coming week. (Whereupon, at 6:35 p. m., the subcommittee adjourned until 9:30 a. m., Wednesday, July 23, 1947.) HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTIETH CONGRESS FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS ON S. 545 A BILL TO COORDINATE THE HEALTH FUNCTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN A SINGLE AGENCY; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES: TO EXPAND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE MEDICAL AND DENTAL RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND THROUGH GRANTS-IN-AID TO THE STATES; TO CONSTRUCT IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH A DENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES AND S. 1320 A BILL TO PROVIDE A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM PART 4 JULY 23, 1947, JANUARY 27 AND 29, 1948 Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTIETH CONGRESS FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS ON S. 545 A BILL TO COORDINATE THE HEALTH FUNCTIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN A SINGLE AGENCY; TO AMEND THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES: TO EXPAND THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE MEDICAL AND DENTAL RESEARCH IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND THROUGH GRANTS-IN-AID TO THE STATES; TO CONSTRUCT IN THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH A DENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES AND S. 1320 A BILL TO PROVIDE A NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM 64431 PART 4 JULY 23, 1947, JANUARY 27 AND 29, 1948 Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1948 |