49th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

Floor Speech

Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish Medicare and Medicaid a very happy 49th Anniversary!

On this day in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Social Security Act into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid and the guarantee that a wide range of health and medical services would be available to millions of Americans.

A year after declaring a war on poverty in 1954, President Johnson created two programs that would serve as the backbone of our Great Society and provide a backstop so that our fellow Americans would never again be left without a safety net or a helping hand.

These programs matter, not only to their users, but to all citizens in our great nation.

Medicare matters because it provides comprehensive health coverage to seniors and gives families peace of mind that their loved ones can retire with security.

The program has provided seniors and the disabled with the quality health care, economic security, and the peace of mind they deserve.

Because of Medicare, millions of Americans have been able to age with respect and dignity, instead of mounting medical debt and uncertainty regarding treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I know firsthand how important Medicare is to seniors and families in America.

Nearly 98 percent of older Ohioans were enrolled in Medicare in 2011, and nationwide more than 50 million seniors and people with disabilities are covered under Medicare.

Medicaid matters because 1 in 5 Americans and 1 and 3 children receive health care through Medicaid. Providing preventative care and lifelong health assistance is not only the right, moral thing to do, it is also fiscally responsible.

I look forward to continuing to work to strengthen and protect these programs and to ensure that the promise of health and economic security will be there for generations to come.

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