Finally, a strong America cannot neglect the aspirations of its
citizens--the welfare of the needy, the health care of the elderly, the
education of the young. For we are not developing the Nation's wealth for
its own sake. Wealth is the means--and people are the ends. All our
material riches will avail us little if we do not use them to expand the
opportunities of our people.
Last year, we improved the diet of needy people--provided more hot lunches
and fresh milk to school children--built more college dormitories--and, for
the elderly, expanded private housing, nursing homes, health services, and
social security. But we have just begun.
To help those least fortunate of all, I am recommending a new public
welfare program, stressing services instead of support, rehabilitation
instead of relief, and training for useful work instead of prolonged
dependency.
To relieve the critical shortage of doctors and dentists--and this is a
matter which should concern us all--and expand research, I urge action to
aid medical and dental colleges and scholarships and to establish new
National Institutes of Health.
To take advantage of modern vaccination achievements, I am proposing a mass
immunization program, aimed at the virtual elimination of such ancient
enemies of our children as polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus.
To protect our consumers from the careless and the unscrupulous, I shall
recommend improvements in the Food and Drug laws--strengthening inspection
and standards, halting unsafe and worthless products, preventing misleading
labels, and cracking down on the illicit sale of habit-forming drugs.
But in matters of health, no piece of unfinished business is more important
or more urgent than the enactment under the social security system of
health insurance for the aged.
For our older citizens have longer and more frequent illnesses, higher
hospital and medical bills and too little income to pay them. Private
health insurance helps very few--for its cost is high and its coverage
limited. Public welfare cannot help those too proud to seek relief but
hard-pressed to pay their own bills. Nor can their children or
grandchildren always sacrifice their own health budgets to meet this
constant drain.
Social security has long helped to meet the hardships of retirement, death,
and disability. I now urge that its coverage be extended without further
delay to provide health insurance for the elderly.