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1932 › Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) › Sickness and health insurance

Sickness insurance as a "minimum requirement" alongside old-age and unemployment insurance

pledge_forwarddirectional_stancecandidate_directevidence B HealthRelief, Welfare & Social Insurance similar solutions · similar reasoning

Solution

Sickness insurance for industrial workers, named with old-age and unemployment insurance as minimum requirements; no mechanism given.

Rationale

Workers "need ... a greater assurance of security"; social insurance is a floor, not a full program.

The only campaign mention of health insurance found; evidence B because it is a single clause with no elaboration.

Statements (1)

1932-10-06 · Radio address to the Business and Professional Men's League · generalcandidate_directto business and professional supporters at luncheons nationwide ✓ verified

Old-age, sickness and unemployment insurance are minimum requirements in these days. But they are not enough.

Source: Radio Address to the Business and Professional Men's League Throughout the Nation (1932-10-06)

Follow-through

abandoned

Health insurance was studied by the Committee on Economic Security but omitted from the Social Security bill to protect its passage against medical opposition; no proposal was sent to Congress.

Mechanisms

Date	Type	Name	Effect	Consistent?	Source
1935-08-14	statute	Social Security Act — no health insurance title charted on: Unemployment rate (BLS, 1948–) · Unemployment rate (NBER series, 1929–1942)	Titles I–V cover old age, unemployment, dependent children, the blind; none covers sickness.	no	Statement on Signing the Social Security Act.

Obstruction

deliberate_abandonment Dropped to avoid jeopardizing the Social Security Act; medical-profession opposition.

Assessments

abandoned William E. Leuchtenburg — Franklin D. Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs | Miller Center

The 1935 act's titles omit health insurance.

With its passage came programs like Old Age Assistance (Title I), Old Age Insurance (Title II), Unemployment Insurance (Title III), Aid to Dependent Children (Title IV) and Aid to the Blind (Title V).

Other positions on this issue

National health insurance — Norman Thomas, 1932 directional_stance

1932-fdr-sickness-insurance-minimum · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed