Health Reform Under Truman

Health reform under President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) was inspired by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman supported a national health insurance program and made his stance clear during his presidency; in 1945, he addressed the nation and recommended an establishment of universal health insurance program, federal funding to propel medical education and the construction of hospitals, as well as increased monetary aid for maternal and child health services. Truman’s adament support for health care reform, established early in his presidential term, continued to be expressed throughout his time in office. In his 1947 State of the Union, Truman stated ”[o]f all our national resources, none is of more basic value than the health of our people.” In his 1948 address, he said ”[t]he greatest gap in our social security structure is the lack of adequate provision for the Nation’s health.”. Congress’s lack of action coupled with the presence and disapproval of the American Medical Association to universal health insurance resulted in limiting the progress of health policy reform during the Truman era (Mayes 2004: 37).

Universal health insurance, which was left out of Social Security, was not completely supported by the President until the 1940s (Starr 280). However, with the Cold War, the idea of “socialized medicine” seemed like a symbol of the “communist influence in America” (Starr 280). While Congressional bills such as the Wagner-Murrary-Dingell bill, proposed in 1943, set out to create a “cradle to grave” social insurance system (Starr 280,) it was not until 1944 that the President (President Roosevelt) finally asked Congress to develop a plan to give every American citizen health care (Starr 280). After the death of Roosevelt and the end of World War II, Truman again called on Congress to pass a national program which would expand “investment in the medical system” (Starr 280). Thus began Truman’s attempt to revitalize the health care system.

Truman’s attempts to adopt a form of a single-payer system were met with opposition, both from the public and from special interest groups. Although polls confirmed that over 58% of Americans approved of Truman’s propsal, his programs seemed too liberal and radical for the American public(Greenberg 20). Because of external forces like the “Red Scare” and the commencement of the Cold War, Truman’s health reform plan never had a chance (Hamby 659). Domestic policy like health care reform was not the priority at the time. Moreover, the American Medical Association (AMA) vehemently attacked Truman’s ideals.

The American Medical Association was a very powerful force and dominated “interest-group activity in the health policy arena” (Mayes 37). With endless funds, the AMA attacked Truman’s proposals as Communistic and ultimately destroyed any chance of success for Truman. The AMA felt that any creation of a health care plan under Social Security would be a stepping-stone for the government to take over the entire health care system. In their opinion, this would result in inefficiency and an overall decrease in the quality of health care in the United States (Mayes 37).