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60 Years of Medicare and Medicaid

60 Years of Medicare and Medicaid

Letters from an American vor 2 Monaten

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Podcast

Letters from an American

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A newsletter about the history behind today's politics.

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July 30, 2026

Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress
had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two
national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people
who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had
proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights
including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that
“the health of this nation is a national concern,” John F Kennedy
made the expansion of health insurance a priority, but faced
strong opposition, With LBJ’s victory in 1964, he had the votes
to pass Medicare and Medicaid, But in 2026 the Republicans are
rejecting LBJ’s vision of a government that works to support its
people, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act partially offset its tax
custs with cuts to Medicaid, and the administration now plans to
cut a program capping the cost of drugs for Medicare recipients.

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