Programs celebrate 50th anniversary

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law as an amendment to the Social Security Act. Most people who will become eligible for Medicare this year were in high school when this legislation was authorized. Today’s seniors were young adults busy with their lives and families.

In 1965, almost half of those 65 and older had no health insurance, living in fear that the high cost of health care could propel them, and their families, into poverty. Today only two percent of seniors have no access to health insurance. This has led to a five-year increase in life expectancy for those over 65.

Today, 55 million Americans rely on Medicare to provide needed care, including preventive services, hospital stays, lab tests, critical supplies, and prescription drugs.

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