The Efforts Of John F. Kennedy In The Medical Industry
John F. Kennedy, elected in 1960, was one of the first presidents to shift the viewpoint of America being a self sufficient working machine to realizing not everyone can be a self sufficient working machine. The system he was elected into was far from great and he understood this from his own experiences with the medical industry.
Kennedy faced Addison's disease and his own father's hospitalization. His disease showed him the bright future we would have investing into medical advancement, after being saved by modern medicine. The hospitalization of his father, however, made the issue of health care cost a looming shadow over America. Kennedy realized that the system currently intact only worked for the most abled bodied, those who were not able to make some sort of income were left behind without benefits. Kennedy knew we sorely needed a change, but with the shape of the economy that was not an easy feat.
During his era unemployment was at six percent, a heavy number during a seemingly endless recession. However, as his legacy suggest, Kennedy was a changer and that was exactly what he did. He turned the economy for the better by increasing government spending and lowering tax rates, his economical moves help to fuel his health care moves as well. With his push to increase government spending it opened a gateway to many new programs and policies. Kennedy’s beginning into the series of health care acts he had under way began with the Community Health Services and Facilities Act in 1961. This act expanded the funding for community health services, creating a positive ripple into the economy. Kennedy made sure his next move would cause a wave in employment by making the policy call for an increase in the availability, quality, and scope of health facilities in meeting the needs of the chronically ill and aged. There became a need for someone to build the facilities, staff to man the facilities, programs to train the staff, and a motive to continue research. Riding on this wave Kennedy created special grants to add an incentive towards his policies “. . . special project grants to public and nonprofit organizations for studies, experiments, and demonstrations of new or improved methods of providing health services outside hospitals, primarily for chronically ill or aged persons”.
Although one of Kennedy's worst regrets is not passing Medicare he was still able to help the retired in his Hill Burton Program. This program, first provided funding towards nursing homes but later was amended to also distribute loans towards hospitals and medical facilities. His efforts never just ended with one aspect of healthcare. Kennedy saw that there was a shortage of medical nurses in the field, “There were 550, 000 professional nurses and 225, 000 practical nurses in active practice in 1962. This number is far too small to meet the needs for high quality nursing care”, so in response he added financial assistance towards facilities, better program benefits towards teachers, and grants for nursing school (including vocational). Another extra push for the economy to continue the motivation, that effectively also created an increase amount of workers in the medical field.
