HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

7
a growing lack of health insurance coverage among the general population, and
about the problem of the tininsurable. I hope that, with this hearing, we start the
process of arriving at some kind of rough consensus on the dimensions of the problem
and how to proceed.
I sincerely hope that we proceed carefully, especially as concerns any temptation
to create new Federal benefit programs. In the first place, we still have a minor
deficit problem, which, as far as I can tell, the Congress, the administration and the
American people are committed to eliminating.
Furthermore, and in my opinion, equally important, we need to be careful that we
do not promise things to the American people that we may not be able to deliver. As
one of our witnesses points out in his testimony, we are not now delivering on what
we have already promised to deliver through the Medicare Program. Recent financing
crises in the Social Security Retirement Program, although we have repaired
that problem, and in the Medicare Program, have helped to create lack of confidence
on the part of the American people in the promises their elected representatives
make to them. More undeliverable promises can only create more disaffiliation
and political discontent.
I am pleased that the committee is seeking out the perspective of private business
people with respect to what they can offer to the solution of this problem. It seems
clear, at least to me, that, given our deficit problem and the unpopularity of a general
increase in income taxes, we will need the help of the private sector in solving
this catastrophic health care expense problem.
That is all I have to say for the present, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to the testimony
of our witnesses.
Chairman MELCHER. The first witness we are going to hear from
is Mrs. Joan Yelineck, of Beaver Dam, WI.
Mrs. Yelineck, will you come to the witness table, please?
STATEMENT OF JOAN YELINECK, BEAVER DAM, WI
Mrs. YELINECK. Senator Melcher, before you start asking me
some questions, may I thank you very much, and all the other Senators,
Mr. Michie and all the aides over there for the wonderful
work you are doing. I am speaking for an awful lot of friends who
are in the same boat that my husband and I are in. I cannot thank
you enough.
Chairman MELCHER. Would you tell us, Mrs. Yelineck, what is
your husband's current condition?
Mrs. YELINECK. I would have to give you a little bit of background
on my husband. My husband spent 21 years' service in the
Government-1( years at U.S. Weather Bureau, and then after
World War II he went back to school and became a deputy collector
for Internal Revenue and worked up to be a special agent.
Then he decided he would like to open his own practice, which
he was in for about 21 years, self-employed. You have no retirement,
you have no medical support, et cetera.
And unfortunately, that was when March 15 was the deadline
for filing; he suffered a myocardial infarction, which is a heart
attack that destroys the main muscle of the heart. And he was not
a candidate for surgery, because he has also obstructive pulmonary
disease and an aneurism.
Chairman MELCHER. What year was that?
Mrs. YELINECK. His illness started 7 years ago.
Chairman MELCHER. Seven years ago; and the heart attack occurred
7 years ago?
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes; and then the obstructive pulmonary disease,
and the aneurism below his navel, which is inoperable.
Well, we had a lovely home on the lake-I have a picture of it-a
lovely, lovely home. We were frugal; we had put aside in invest-