Sen. Russell Long said Monday night he saw no chance of the present Congress passing a cam-pulsory health insurance bill.
He said in a speech prepared for the annual convention of the Louisiana State Medical Society that "on an actual fair test vote" there would probably be "no more than 16 senators at the outside who would vote for the compulsory health insurance plan."
He pointed out that a proposal to create a federal department of welfare had been voted down, despite support of the national administration and the Hoover commission, because it would "pro- mote the leading advocate of so-: cialized medicine to the position of cabinet officer and would probably be a step in the direction of; socialized medicine." Even this vote was not a fair test, he added, because some senators felt that "socialized medicine was not the issue."
The senator said he approved federal participation in hospital construction, research, aid to state health programs, hospitalization of veterans and assistance in medical education and that "we should approach with an open mind any plan that would enable doctors to be more fairly compensated and make it possible for people better to provide for medical care." But he added that "in view of the excellent record of the medical profession and the high standard of medical care and availability. I don't think we should consider proposals that could not meet with the approval generally of the medical profes-sion."
