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The Michigan Daily-Friday, May 18, 1979-Page 15
PREDICTS CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL
Powell blasts nat'l health insurance plan
WASHINGTON AP) - President White House press secretary Jody mandated health coverage for all other hand, he said, the plan Carter is
Carter's chief spokesman strongly Powell said any effort to create a com- Americans. It would cost the federal preparing will "have a good chance" of
criticized a health insurance plan put prehensive national health insurance government approximately $30 billion, passage.
forward by Sen. Edward Kennedy, and plan is doomed to failure in Congress. with an additional $10 billion to be paid Powell disclosed that Califano,
predicted yesterday that it stands no ALTHOUGH HE DID not mention from private sources, several HEW aides, and a number of
chance of winning congressional ap- Kennedy by name, his comments were Later yesterday, the president met Carter's domestic policy and economic
proval. clearly directed at the Massachusetts with HEW Secretary Joseph Califano advisers were summoned to the
Democrat's proposal for government- Jr. in one of a series of conferences to meeting with the president.
rapidly draw up the administration's POWELL SAID the meeting was
own national health insurance called to review work the department
M ilriken to aet em er enc propoal. has done in preparing the president's
Carter's plan would at first be health insurance plan and to prepare
devoted largely to expanding the for what could be a final round of
en ergy QMedicaid state health programs for the meetings with members of Congress
con s rvi g p o ers poor, administration sources say. before the plan is completed.
energy cosrvn powers mn -a;2e= c--
Califano, secretary of the Department "We want to move as rapidly as
LANSING (UPI) - A Senate com- emergency declaration under the bill. of Health, Education and Welfare, says possible," Powell said.
mittee yesterday approved legislation The emergency declaration would it would cost $10 billion to $15 billion. With Kennedy unveiling his plan, the
giving Gov. William Milliken emergen- last 90 days unless the legislature ex- POWELL SAID Carter "could administration is under increased
cy powers to order drastic conservation tended it. Persons violating any propose some comprehensive plan" pressure to present its proposal.
steps in the event an energy shortage provisions would be subject to fines up that would not win House and Senate It has been reported that Carter's
reaches the crisis stage. to $500 a day. approval. "That would make an plan would require an additional $6
Among other things, the bill em- Committee Chairman John Hertel, ideological point," he said. "But it will billion from employers and employees
powers Milliken to reduce speed limits (D-Harper Woods), said the immediate have no impact on the people" who involved in health insurance plans, but
and provides penalty points for prospect is for gasoline shortages. most need such assistance. administration sources dispute this
violators of the emergency speed rules Therefore, the speed restrictions might His comments were the first on-the- figure.
beedsrrlsh -r record White House statement about The government already spends
become the most important short-term the issue since Kennedy, a possible Car- about $60 billion on Medicare for the
4-0 vote of the Senate Environmental COMMITTEE members, state police ter challenger for the 1980 Democratic elderly and Medicaid for the poor.
and Agricultural Affairs Committee. and aides to Milliken agreed that to presidential nomination, revealed his THERE HAVE BEEN suggestions
Two public hearings produced vir- back up the speed reductions, penalty plan Monday. that the federal government take over
tually no opposition to the bill from a points should be applied. "There are those who feel we Medicaid because of increasing state
variety of state agencies and ,special Hertel also said he is concerned about shouldn't do anything unless we do costs, but sources, asking not to be
interest groups. possible constitutional shortcomings of everything," Powell said at the daily identified, have said the ad ministration
However, constitutional and political the bill. It has the effect of amending White House briefing. "The president considers this proposal too expensive.
questions along with public skepticism other laws, but legal advisors to the honestly disagrees with that ap- Rather, they said, health insurance
about the reality of energy shortages governor said the amendments were proach." planners want to ease eligibility rules to
could provoke fireworks when the bill is undertaken through the legally san- "HE'S NOT INTERESTED in permit more needy people to take ad-
taken up by the full Senate. ctioned route of implication - not the proposing a plan for the sake olf vantage of the federally assisted
unconstitutional amendment by making a speech," Powell said, em- program and standardize the benefits it
THE MEASURE is legally tied to reference. phasizing that no one has succeeded in offes.
another bill assessing two penalty poin- Constitutional arguments are impor- winning congressional approval of a Announcing the administration's
s on the driving record of anyone who tant, Hertel said, because energy "do-it-all" healti insurance plan in at decision two months ago to offer a
violates speed rules during an officially emergencies are widely considered to least 30 years of discussions about the scaled-down "phse one" plan, Califano
declared energy emergency. be contrived and the emergency powers issue. said it would feature protection for all
Unless the penalty point assessments might be challenged in court on the None has come close to passing and Americans against the costs of
are enacted, the emergency powers bill basis they are unjustified. none will this session," he said. On the catastrophic illnesses.
cannot become law, and vice versa - a
>rovision opposed by Sen. William
Sederburg, (R-East Lansing), sponsor
if the bill.
Under normal cnditin i am:N
V 1L1G 1V111G1 vlluuls, pon s are
not assessed against persons driving
between 55 and 70 miles per hour on
freeways. That would change only in an
emergency situation.
MILIIKEN COULD assume
authority to restrict fuel or other
energy sales, regulate heating, air con-
ditioning and lighting, restrict
operating hours of businesses and fac-
tories, force motorists to switch to
public transportation, and require
energy companies to allocate supplies
to areas of critical need, in an
is preserved on
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