Jay Rockefeller: “on July 30, 1965, with one stroke of the pen, President Lyndon Baines Johnson created two Federal programs that gave…”

“on July 30, 1965, with one stroke of the pen, President Lyndon Baines Johnson created two Federal programs that gave America's poor and elderly access to high-quality comprehensive health care. Having grown up in the Hill Country of Texas, President Johnson knew first hand of the lack of health care for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. He had witnessed the bitter consequences of men, women, and children denied access to meaningful and affordable health care. While President Johnson's signing of the Medicare and Medicaid programs into law was historic, it would be inaccurate to bestow the sole credit for the creation of these vital programs on one person alone. The Social Security Amendments of 1965 represented the decades long work of both Democrats and Republicans who shared a commitment to improving the health of our nation. The amendments were a compromise between those who wanted a social insurance program solely for the elderly and those who believed we needed a similar program for the poor. The addition of Medicaid to the Social Security Amendments of 1965 was of particular significance. Far from being the afterthought that it is typically described as, the creation of Medicaid was actually a reflection of a tradition of community and mutual obligation that, if not uniquely, is at least characteristically American.…”