Speech #870115229

It is also one of the most unnecessary parts of the problem. for the machinery and medical techniques needed to eliminate it exist in abundance. Mr. President. in practical terms. the migrant families health problem can be stated this way: First. migrant families have less access to health care than other members of our population. although they generally have a greater need for health care. second. present efforts to meet their needs are inadequate. and third. in spite of several commendable starts and efforts. the States and local communities have not been able to cope with this severe problem alone. Most of the preventive health measures in use throughout the Nation fail to reach migrant families. Serious health problems result. affecting both migrants and local residents alike. Such a problem occurred last winter in Hale County. Tex. In November. an epidemic of diphtheria started with seven cases in two migrant families. By midFebruary. the disease had spread to more than 70 persons43 of them local residents. Immunizationan inexpensive measurecould have prevented this epidemic. But because the migrant families had not been immunized. Hale County residents were exposed to a disease that is almost unknown in the United States today. These health problems involve more. though. than just the personal pain and misery of the workers. They also produce serious fiscal pain for the public and private facilities that serve them. Unpaid hospital bills of migrant workers are a matter of growing concern for hospitals in farm areas. Year after year. these hospitals are faced with the necessity of providing emergency medical care for migrant patients. In the vast majority of cases the migrant has no means of paying his bill. In 1955. for example. the State of New York paid about $80.000 to its local communities for public assistance to migratory workers. Of this sum. more than $60.000 went for hospitalization. The New York hospitals were extremely fortunate. though. in that they were partially reimbursed for this outlay. Many hospitals providing medical care for migrant workers have no way to recover these costs. and therefore must bear them alone. This legislation would not. of course. provide payment for these hospital bills. Nonetheless. its provisions would have an indirect curtailing effect on such costs.