On Their 57th Anniversary, Medicare and Medicaid Remain Under Threat
You may wonder why former President Harry Truman is sitting close by while President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare and Medicaid into law in the iconic 1965 photograph. Or why Harry Truman received the first-ever Medicare card. The reason is that Truman first proposed a Medicare-like system in 1945—but it took two decades, another Democratic president, and a Democratic supermajority in Congress to overcome opposition from political conservatives and the health industry. As we celebrate 57 years of Medicare and Medicaid successes on July 30th, it is vexing that these two vital programs continue to be in the cross-hairs of GOP opponents.
Before Medicare was enacted, 56% of American seniors had no health insurance. Retirees were no longer covered by their employers. Private insurers considered them a "particularly bad risk" and rejected them as customers or charged premiums almost no one could afford. The uninsured elderly had to rely on family, friends, or charity to cover medical bills. More than one in four seniors went without medical care altogether.
Low-income Americans suffered a similar plight prior to the enactment of Medicaid. The poor had "limited access to healthcare, relying heavily on charity care and public hospitals," according to Modern Healthcare. While those deemed the "deserving poor" might receive care through community and religious organizations, "able-bodied (low income) people needing healthcare were generally out of luck."
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/07/28/their-57th-anniversary-medicare-and-medicaid-remain-under-threat