RVS 5 Ja 65 UH473 [No. 64] CONSTRUCTION OF MILITARY HOSPITAL FACILITIES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SPECIAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSTRUCTION OF MILITARY HOSPITAL FACILITIES, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, April 14, 1964. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., Hon. L. Mendel Rivers (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. RIVERS. Today we begin one of the most important studies ever conducted by a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. It will cover nearly all of the aspects of the military hospital program. While the subcommittee has been designated as the Special Subcommittee on Construction of Military Hospital Facilities, the name in itself is slightly misleading. The charter under which this subcommittee is functioning requires us to look into aspects much broader than the construction program. Chairman Vinson, in his letter dated February 27, 1964, established this special subcommittee and directed us to look into the following five areas: (1) The proposed locations of these facilities; (2) The permanence of the bases they will support; (3) The availability of medical personnel to man proposed and existing facilities; (4) Whether an obligation exists to provide medical care and hospitalization for retired personnel and their dependents; and (5) If such an obligation exists, the extent to which space should be provided to meet such requirements; or alternative methods of providing hospitalization and medical care for retired personnel and their dependents. Those are the five areas. As you can see, location, construction, staffing requirements, and eligibility for care in military hospital facilities as well as alternative methods of providing medical and hospital care through some type of insurance program by utilization of civilian doctors and civilian hospital facilities are all germane to this inquiry. Although this study is not being made in connection with any legislative proposal now before the Congress, it is believed that this inquiry will assist the Secretary of Defense in establishing policies as well as legislative proposals in regard to medical care and hospital facilities for the future. At the very outset I want to emphasize that one of the primary reasons for this study is to inquire into the rationale and legal |