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Gerald Ford on Health CarePresident of the U.S., 1974-1977; Republican Rep. (MI) |
Jimmy Carter also focused on inflation when he became president in 1977. Even though he had supported universal coverage during his campaign, President Carter decided that his first foray into health care would be an attempt to rein in costs, not expand coverage. In the previous decade, the consumer price index had increased by 79.7%, while hospital costs had risen 237%. President Carter proposed an across-the-board cap on hospital charges that would limit annual increases to 1.5 times any rise in the consumer price index.
S. 66 would authorize excessive appropriation levels, far in excess of the amounts we can afford for these programs. The bill would authorize almost $550 million above my fiscal year 1976 budget request for the programs involved & cannot be tolerated.
Apart from its excessive authorization levels, S. 66 is unsound from a program standpoint. S. 66 would expand such separate categorical programs as Community Health Centers and Migrant Health Centers. The expansion of the Federal role in health services delivery through such narrow categorical programs is not consistent with development of an integrated, flexible health service delivery system. The Federal role in overcoming barriers to needed health care should emphasize health care financing programs--such as Medicare and Medicaid.