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media in the United States. “If they would publicize it, it might sway opinions.”
He predicted a new drive for aid to the Contras, who are fighting the Sandanista government, but admitted that a pro-Contra vote will not be easy to get. “The pro- and anti-Contra groups are about equal” in the Congress, he explained. The outcome has been determined during the last few years by a “middle group, which swings back and forth” between approving and denying aid to the guerrillas.
This time, Congressman Slaughter said, “It’s obvious the Arias plan is not working,” referring to the peace initiative advanced by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, which was supported by Nicaragua’s Central American neighbors. But, Mr. Slaughter predicted, “If we win a Contra vote within the next few months it will be by only 10 or 12 votes.”
Mr. Slaughter explained that his proposal for health insurance to cover catastrophic illnesses, which he has championed in the House of Representatives, would be administered as a fund similar to Social Security. That brought winces and groans from the audience, to which Rep. Slaughter admitted, “There’s plenty wrong with the way it’s financed.”
But, he predicted, problems could be avoided if the Congress uses foresight to deal with difficulties before they occur.
He used as an example the Medicaid trust fund, which will run short of funds in about 15 years, according to estimates. “If there is a revenue shortfall, every year you delay action compounds the problem,” Mr. Slaughter said. To address the Medicaid situation, he said, will require
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