According to the 13th annual survey of the health insurance council on the extent of voluntary health insurance coverage, of the persons covered by insurance companies at the end of 1958, 72 million persons had hospital expense insurance, 63 percent being on a group basis and 37 percent on the individual basis. In other words, almost 7 out of 10 persons were covered under group plans. Very truly yours, AMERICAN LIFE CONVENTION, Counsel. HEALTH INSURANCE ASSOCIATION ROBERT R. NEAL, General Manager. LIFE INSURANCE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, EUGENE M. THORE, Vice President and General Counsel. COMPANIES WHICH ISSUE NEW POLICIES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS TO PERSONS 65 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER Accredited Hospital & Life Insurance Co. Aetna Life Insurance Co. All American Life & Casualty Co. Allied Reserve Life Insurance Co. Allstate Insurance Co. Allstate Life Insurance Co. American Benefit Association. American Casualty Insurance Co. American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Co. American Hardware Mutual Insurance Co. American Health Insurance Corp. American Hospital & Life Insurance Co. American Life Insurance Co. of New York. American Life & Casualty Co. American Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Co. American Motorists Insurance Co. American Mutual Liability Insurance Co. American National Insurance Co. American Policyholders' Insurance Co. American Progressive Health Insurance Co. of New York. American Republic. American United Life Insurance Co. Atlantic Life Insurance Co. Atlas Life Insurance Co. Austin Life Insurance Co. Bankers Life & Casualty Co. Bankers Life Insurance Co. of Nebraska. Beneficial Standard Life Insurance Co. Benefit Association of Railway Employees. Berkshire Life Insurance Co. Brotherhood Mutual Life Insurance Co. Business Men's Assurance Co. of America. California Life Insurance Co. California-Western States Life Insurance Co. Carolina Home Life Insurance Co. Celina Mutual Insurance Co. Central Assurance Co. Central Standard Indemnity Co. Central Standard Life Insurance Co. Central States Health & Life Co. of Omaha. Colorado Credit Life, Inc. Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Co. Combined American Insurance Co. Combined Insurance Co. of Newark. Commonwealth Mutual Insurance Co. of America. COMPANIES WHICH ISSUE NEW POLICIES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS TO PERSONS 65 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER-Continued Combined Insurance Co. of America. Companion Life Insurance Co. Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. Constitution Life Insurance Co. Countryside Casualty. Craftsman Insurance Co. Detroit Mutual Insurance Co. Educators Mutual Life Insurance Co. Globe Life Insurance Co. Great American Reserve Insurance Co. Great Southwest Life Insurance Co. Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America. Guarantee Trust Life. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. Hearthstone Insurance Co. Home Fire & Marine Insurance Co. Hoosier Casualty Co. Illinois Mutual Life & Casualty Co. Independence Life & Accident Insurance Co. Inter-Ocean Insurance Co. Inter-State Insurance Co. International Fidelity Insurance Co. Jefferson Life & Casualty Co. Jefferson National Life Insurance Co. Lincoln Liberty Life Insurance Co. Lincoln National Life Insurance Co. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co. Maryland Casualty Co. Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance Co. Metropolitan Casualty Co. of New York. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. Michigan Life Insurance Co. Midwest Life Insurance Co. Minnesota Commercial Men's Association. Missouri National Life Insurance Co. Monarch Life Insurance Co. Municipal Insurance Co. of America. Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York. Mutual of Omaha. M.F.A. Mutual Insurance Co. National Accident & Health Insurance Co. National Casualty Co. National Fidelity Life Insurance Co. National Home Life Assurance Co. National Surety Corp. National Travelers Life Co. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. New York Life Insurance Co. North American Assurance Society of Virginia. COMPANIES WHICH ISSUE NEW POLICIES ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS TO PERSONS 65 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER North American Life Insurance Co. of Chicago. North American Life & Casualty Co. North Central Life Insurance Co. Northern Life Insurance Co. Northwestern Life Insurance Co. Occidental Life Insurance Co. of California. Ohio State Life Insurance Co. Old American Insurance Co. Old Line Life Insurance Co. of America. Postal Life & Casualty Insurance Co. Protective Security Life Insurance Co. Provident Life & Accident Insurance Co. Prudence Life Insurance Co. Prudential Insurance Co. of America. Republic National Life Insurance Co. Reserve Life Insurance Co. Secured Insurance Co. Security Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York. Security Life & Accident Co. Service Life Insurance Co. Sovereign States Insurance Co. Standard Insurance Co. Standard Life & Accident Insurance Co. State Automobile & Casualty Underwriters. State Mutual Life Assurance Co. of America. State National Life Insurance Co. Sunset Life Insurance Co. Teachers Protective Mutual Life Insurance Co. Texas Reserve Life Insurance Co. Time Insurance Co. Transportation Insurance Co. Travelers Insurance Co. Union Life Insurance Co., Inc., of Virginia. United American Insurance Co. United Insurance Co. of America. United States Life Insurance Co. Wabash Life Insurance Co. Washington National Insurance Co. West Coast Life Insurance Co. Westland Life Insurance Co. Wilson National Life Insurance Co. Wisconsin National Life Insurance Co. Woodmen Accident & Life Co. World Insurance Co. Zurich Insurance Co. Continued (Whereupon, at 1:15 p.m. the hearing was recessed, to reconvene at 2:30 p.m. of the same day.) AFTERNOON SESSION The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. Senator Hartke is anxious to be here when Mr. John W. Nagle testifies. I understand that Dr. Schamberg has a plane to catch. So if he wants to come forward. Is he in the room? I understand you had a plane to catch. Dr. SCHAMBERG. Yes; I do, sir. Thank you very much. The CHAIRMAN. We will be glad to hear you. STATEMENT OF DR. I. L. SCHAMBERG, COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR PHYSICIANS; ACCOMPANIED BY HARRY KELBER, SECRETARY Dr. SCHAMBERG. Thank you very much indeed. I am Ira Leo Schamberg. Dr. Harold Aaron, the chairman of the committee is unfortunately unable to attend this meeting and I am very happy to appear and to read his statement for him. I am a dermatologist, a skin specialist, practicing in Elkins Park, Pa. I am a member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the American Medical Association. I am also a member of the Committee on Legislation of the Philadelphia County Medical Society. I would like to confine my remarks today to the provision in the act which has been passed by the House of Representatives, and is up for consideration before this committee, for inclusion of physicians in social security. I would like to further confine my remarks to two points: One, do physicians want social security? And two, do physicians need social security? In answer to the first point, I would like to read the statement which Dr. Aaron prepared. A letter prepared by the president-elect of the American Medical Association dated today, June 30, 1960, states that the majority of physicians in this country do not want social security. There is no documentation by the president-elect of this statement. I believe that I can document adequately a contradiction to that statement. Dr. Aaron's statement reads: We are glad to have this opportunity to present up-to-date evidence to prove that a substantial majority of the Nation's self-employed physicians want to be included under social security. A tally of the 27 statewide polls on social security held in the past 2 years shows: 19 States, representing 126,462 physicians, or 64 percent of the Nation's total, are in favor of physician coverage; 6 States, representing 18,266 physicians, or 9 percent of the Nation's total, are opposed to coverage; 2 States, representing 4,531 physicians, or 2 percent of the Nation's total, are in favor of voluntary coverage only. We have enclosed a tabulated breakdown of these various polls for the examination of members of the committee. There are several significant factors about these polls to which we would like to call your attention: (1) Twenty-four of these polls were official surveys conducted by State medical societies, most of whose delegates to AMA conventions had consistently opposed social security coverage for physicians. (2) Two independent polls among Illinois and California physicians, conducted by the Honest Ballot Association as recently as May and June of this year, show majorities of 67 percent and 62 percent respectively, in favor of social security coverage. These polls included not only physicians affiliated with the AMA but all physicians. (3) You will note that substantial majorities, ranging from 57 percent to as high as 77 percent, were piled up in States which favored coverage. (4) All of these latest figures confirm the trend observed in the nationwide independent poll conducted by the authoritative publication, Medical Economics, which showed a nearly 2-to-1 majority in favor of coverage. Attached to this statement is a tabulated breakdown of these polls for the examination by members of the committee, and I would like to read briefly to you the 19 States whose physicians have spoken in favor of social security and also the percentage of physicians in those States who want social security coverage. California, 62 percent; Connecticut, 73 percent want social security; Delaware, 61 percent; District of Columbia, 74 percent; Florida, 57 percent; Illinois, 67 percent; Maine, 64 percent; Massachusetts, 77 percent; Michigan, 63 percent; New Jersey, 70 percent; New York, I don't have a percentage here; Ohio, 60 percent; Pennsylvania, 63 percent; Rhode Island, 70 percent; South Dakota, 63 percent; Utah, 60 percent; Vermont, 65 percent; West Virginia, 57 percent. And the poll in the State of Washington which was just completed yesterday, I believe, 60 percent. Ι One hundred thirty-one thousand physicians, 64 percent of the Nation's 204,000 physicians reside in these States, practice in these States which have filed for social security. In the fall of 1958 we showed a nearly 2-to-1 majority in favor of coverage. For years now physicians have been virtually the only self-employed group to be denied the benefits and protection of social security coverage. On the basis of the evidence we have presented, we sincerely hope that Congress will remedy this injustice to members of the medical profession and their families. I would like to interject for a moment and speak of the patient I had in my office who was the widow of a physician, her husband died of leukemia when he was 41. She has three small children to bring up. When I mentioned social security she had a great deal to say. She is one of the few widows in the country who is denied social security protection when her husband dies at the age of 41. The CHAIRMAN. Have you got the figures here of how many physicians voted in these different polls? You have the total number of physicians but it does not say how many. Dr. SCHAMBERG. I don't believe I have that, Mr. Chairman. Possibly Mr. Kelber-approximately on an average of 50 percent of the physicians in each State responded to these polls. The CHAIRMAN. In other words, taking California, only 10,000 voted, a little over 10,000, is that correct? Dr. SCHAMBERG. Harry Kelber, secretary of the committee. Mr. KELBER. The Honest Ballot Association conducted this poll, which was a 1-in-10 survey, and about 2,100 ballots were sent out and 1,012 were returned. I have the other poll, for instance, in Illinois which was conducted by the Honest Ballot Association and I have a signed affidavit here from the Honest Ballot Association which says that 11,942 ballots were mailed, as certified by the U.S. Post Office Department, and of those 5,967 ballots were returned and tabulated. Of these, yes votes were 3,986, no votes 1,962, blank 41, so there you have actually a little more than 50 percent The CHAIRMAN. Just 1 second. I think you should take each State up. You can't do it now but if you, for the record, show how many voted in each State-all you have here is the total number of physicians, I understand, so in order to complete the record I would like |