When and were signed into law July th 50 years ago, opponents attacked the programs as wasteful, intrusive and a precursor to socialism or communism. Today both programs, now greatly expanded, have strong support among Americans at and in Congress.
The anniversary these two groundbreaking healthcare programs led commentators to wonder whether the Act will over come to enjoy the same kind popular support.
President Lyndon Johnson signed into law at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., a venue chosen to honor the proposal by President Harry Truman 16 years earlier for a national plan.
Johnson declared that, because , “no longer will older Americans be denied the healing miracle modern medicine,” nor would “illness crush and destroy the savings that they have so carefully put aside over a lifetime.”
Johnson’s promise “has been largely fulfilled,” said an article in The Los Angeles Times about and .
“The two entitlements – one for the elderly and one for low-income Americans - have kept generations seniors in their homes and extended life-saving protections to poor children and families. The share seniors, which was 48% in 1962, is now less than 2%,” the newspaper noted.
However, “the two programs today look far different than they did in 1965, as Democrats and Republicans have each expanded and reshaped them over the last five decades,” the article pointed out.
did not cover the until President George W. Bush implemented a drug benefit in 2003, the largest single expansion services in the ’s history.
Another Republican president, Ronald Reagan, gave the power to set the prices it would pay to hospitals and doctors. He also doubled the during his presidency.
The Washington Post noted that “today, and together cover about 1 in 3 Americans.”
About 56 million seniors and disabled people are enrolled in , the newspaper noted. “now covers an estimated 69 million people, making it the largest government . It pays for nearly half U.S. births and a little over half the nation’s nursing home bill.”
An editorial in the New York Times noted that “analysts say that between 1970 and 2010, contributed to a five-year increase in life expectancy at age 65, by providing early access to needed medical ,” and that “has been critical in reducing childhood deaths and infant mortality.”