Medicare Signed Into Law By LBJ – July 30, 1965

July 30, 2011 by Marie Posted in History 1 Comment

History.com reminds us that on this day – July 30, 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare – a healthcare insurance plan for elder Americans – into law. The signing ceremony took place at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. At the bill-signing ceremony, Johnson enrolled former President Harry S. Truman -who proposed national health insurance back in 1945 – as the first Medicare beneficiary and presented him with the first Medicare card and his wife Bess with the second.

The Medicare program, providing hospital and medical insurance for Americans age 65 or older, was signed into law as an amendment to the Social Security Act of 1935. Some 19 million people enrolled in Medicare when it went into effect in 1966. In 1972, eligibility for the program was extended to Americans under 65 with certain disabilities and people of all ages with permanent kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplant. In December 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), which added outpatient prescription drug benefits to Medicare.

Read the full article here at history.com and learn more here at Wikipedia.

One Response to Medicare Signed Into Law By LBJ – July 30, 1965

  1. Bob Forrant says:

    GI bill, social security, and Medicare. Landmark pieces of socioeconomic legislation that did much to enhance the nation’s prosperity and equality of opportunity. Amazing to think whatnthe architects of these pieces of legislation would viiew the spineless ideologues who now control Washington and do the bidding ofmhig roller lobbyists and not the peoples’ business.

    And again I ask, where’s any, any, any leadership from our relatively safe MA delegation in DC? In fact the Dems in the Senate have put forth more cuts in spending than any ofmthe Rep plans I have seen. This Congress in total is an abject failure.

    And, btw, if there is a default have any of these misleaders volunteered to go without
    their salary and healthcare so granny’s ventilator is not shut off?