At a summer town hall meeting, an attendee shouted "Keep the government's hand off my Medicare." This statement epitomizes the lack of understanding of the complex healthcare reform issue by most Americans. Medicare, Medicaid, Congressional health plans, and the Veterans Administration are all run and paid for by the government. In fact, more than 50 percent of all healthcare is provided by the federal government.
The origin of the government's involvement in healthcare began when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare and Medicaid law on July 30, 1965 as part of his "Great Society" program. It's interesting to see that the arguments for and against Medicare are very similar to the arguments being used today to help defeat what's referred to as "Obamacare." Candidate Obama promised healthcare reform and that was a major reason that he was elected.
Even today, polls indicate overwhelming support for government-guaranteed healthcare for all Americans. How was President Johnson able to get Medicare past the Congress, and why is President Obama having so much difficulty with Congress in creating acceptable health care reform?
Traditional Learning Activity
Assign students to investigate the issues involved in getting Medicare and Medicaid established in 1965. Ask students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least two minutes and seven slides. Students should cite at least three resources that address the following essential questions for critical thinking (teachers can add to or substitute others):
What were three major credible arguments of the opposition to Medicare and Medicaid?
What were three major credible arguments for the need for Medicare and Medicaid?
What strategies did President Johnson use to repel the dissenter in Congress?
What similarities and differences are there in President Obama's campaign for healthcare reform and President Johnson's campaign for Medicare?
Pathfinder
Type "Medicare and Medicaid" in the Search box > Select the Decade of the 1960s > Revise the Date Range to 1/1/1965 to 12/31/1966.
At a summer town hall meeting, an attendee shouted "Keep the government's hand off my Medicare." This statement epitomizes the lack of understanding of the complex healthcare reform issue by most Americans. Medicare, Medicaid, Congressional health plans, and the Veterans Administration are all run and paid for by the government. In fact, more than 50 percent of all healthcare is provided by the federal government.
