How Medicare Has Changed The Aspect Of It Greatly Impacted The Minority Population

Since its establishment in 1965 we have seen Medicare change as people’s needs change however being a federal program these changes do have an incredible amount of lag time. One of the first major changes to Medicare occurred in 1972 when President Nixon signed the Social Security Amendments of 1972 which extended coverage to individuals under age 65 with long-term disabilities, expanded benefits to include some chiropractic services and speech and physical therapy. During this time we see the American public growing tired of the Vietnam Conflict and lack of support and care for those returning Marines and soldiers with severe disabilities. As the protests escalate and the peace initiatives fail a key piece of legislation is signed showing government support and a willingness to extend health care benefits to this growing and vocal population of veterans (The Vietnam War, 1999). Also included in this Amendment is the encouragement of the use of Health Maintenance Organizations, President Nixon’s administration caught in the scandal of Watergate and pending hearings appeased the left and proposed the HMO Act, which Congress passed in 1973 (Phillips, 2003).

The Social Security Act of 1965 established Medicare and Medicaid which are health insurance programs for the poor and elderly people of the United States. It is funded by a tax on the earnings of employees and contributions by the employers. “It is now broadly apparent that those who opposed Social Security in 1935 and Medicare in 1965 were wrong in their fears…” (Nicholas Kristof  “The Wrong Side of History”).

Medicare has had many legislative changes to modernize the program since it was first signed into law. Medicare has assisted many retirees from a financial disaster by providing benefits during a healthcare crisis. The prescription drug program has ensured seniors have access to the medications they require. Medicare has also provided care to the disabled that are under age 65. This national social healthcare program has also come under fire politically because of the extremely high cost of the program.

In 1965, President Johnson introduced Medicare and Medicaid to provide health insurance to the elderly and low income children.

It has been recognized that ever since its passage into law the Affordable Care Act frequently known as Obamacare has and will continue to attract criticism and scrutiny. This is the America`s major and mainly well-liked social indemnity programs. Despite the fact the Affordable Care Act is a highly multifaceted piece of legislation featuring many regulatory and intergovernmental provisions meant to deal with lack of health insurance coverage affecting a variety of diverse groups, Medicare and social security are much more focused programs providing benefits primarily to the aged. Social security and Medicare were in the beginning implemented more without difficulty and with a little of bipartisan support, because in 1935 and 1965 democrats

Medicare is the Federal government’s largest program and provides health care benefits to individuals that are 65 years old or old (Elmendorf, 2013). This program covers over 50 million Americans, including over 8 million disabled Americans (Raising Medicare's Eligibility Age: A Costly Benefit Cut for Senior, 2014). With the baby-boomer generation coming to the age of Medicare eligibility there is an estimated drastic increase in the number of individuals participating in Medicare for their health insurance (Elmendorf, 2013). With this being said some, including the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), believe that increasing the minimum age of eligibility will save the Federal government money (Meyerson,

Medicare, which was first enacted by Congress in 1965, is a popular, yet failing, program because of a rapidly increasing population of retirees and their increasing costs; despite program’s flaws, Medicare is difficult to change because of the political influence of the elderly, who approve of the benefits they receive from the program. Medicare provides health benefits to citizens who are eligible for social security benefits(Fiorina, Peterson, Johnson & Mayer 2009). The program is embraced by the public, but Medicare’s increasing cost makes it difficult to sustain. Due to its popularity, the program is also very difficult to change, but without limitations the program will continue to decline in the future.

However, the social security bill provided some funds to states for expansion through hospital construction, as well as child and maternal health services. After WW II the economy greatly expanded and American capitalism thrived, this was due to the growing family’s needs (Kaiser, 2009). President Truman picked up what Roosevelt had started and called the congress to pass a national health program to guarantee medical access to the American people (Kaiser, 2009). In 1945, President Truman was the first president to propose national health insurance (Medicare/Medicaid) but it was rejected by the congress at that time due to the racial segregation that existed among hospitals. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law as an amendment to the Social Security Act. Although Johnson’s creative health plan improved access to healthcare for many poor and elderly citizens, it fuelled a spiral increase of healthcare costs that has continued till this day (Kaiser, 2009).

Medicare is a federally administered health insurance program that was started in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, taking effect in 1966. The Medicare program was aimed at aiding the high percentage of elderly individuals who were without health insurance coverage and thus improve their health. Originally, Medicare provided health insurance coverage for retirees and their spouses 65 years and older. However, in 1972 Richard Nixon signed the first change to Medicare, allowing for certain disabled persons under the age of 65 to participate in the program. Additionally, Nixon’s changes allowed anybody diagnosed with kidney failure who required dialysis or an organ transplant to receive coverage under the program.

Medicare, enacted on 1965 is a government funded health insurance program which covers the elderly, the disabled and people with end stage renal diseases. With Medicare covering specifically the elderly and the disabled, the cost is usually on the higher side. Medicare has been in action since the last 50 years. Many even approve of expanding Medicare instead of ACA, as Medicare is government funded while ACA has much commercial involvement. Medicare is heavily subsidized and is universally

The government shouldn’t have to be involved with providing this type of insurance, or welfare, to the elderly but without the government’s involvement there would be nothing available. Insurance programs with their selfish and strict rules would never willingly accept seniors or have created a program as amazing as the Medicare program. Even though the government is better off not getting involved in certain areas, they are much needed in the health care industry because they have a slight involvement with the improvement of life. Medicare would fail at this point without the government's involvement. Health care is very dependent on insurance now and Medicare provides this in those markets. Paul Krugman, from Seattle Times, reported that many Americans are still not aware of the government's role in health care and while many seniors do not want the government to get involved, it is too late because the government is keeping

As the government’s role in public health remains, major changes have been put into effect, precisely dealing with long-term care. Before the 1930’s, providing care for the elderly was exclusively a local and state run industry. However, after the great depression, a growing demand was placed on providing some type of insurance for that population. The Social Security Act of 1935 was established to assist with “Federal old-age benefits” and was signed into effect by President Roosevelt on August 15, 1935. (Home, 2015) Another major impact to long-term care has been the creation of Medicaid that went into effect in 1965 and was an amendment to the Social Security Act of 1935. “Title XIX of the Social Security Act is a federal and state entitlement program that pays for medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources” Medicaid is a collective effort between state and the government to help provide insurance for eligible citizens. Among those covered under this insurance, are the elderly, disabled and pregnant. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical care. The new changes to Medicaid are ongoing and will be put into effect as part of Obamacare.

The historical background of Medicare is explained by answering many different questions. One of the historical problems which led the creation of Medicare was that the health costs for the elderly increased dramatically, while a person’s income is also declining. Many of the elderly were unable to afford health insurance, which led to a large amount of people not being covered by any health insurance. There were also certain companies that decided to terminate health policies for those who were considered to be high risk. The problems historically were very important in the fact that insurance companies were charging the elderly too much, and it didn’t just affect those who were already financially unstable. This problem was handled previously by different Federal-State programs that were set in place for medical assistance, but they were not meeting the needs of the people. Often, people were turned away and many were not eligible for the programs.

Due to the upcoming presidential election, the two major political parties, and their candidates, have been focusing on the primary problems that the nation will face. Chief among those problems is the future of Medicare, the national health-insurance plan. Medicare was enacted in 1965, under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, in order to provide health insurance for retired citizens and the disabled (Ryan). The Medicare program covers most people aged 65 or older, as well as handicapped people who enroll in the program, and consists of two health plans: a hospital insurance plan (part A) and a medical insurance plan (part B) (Marmor 22). Before Medicare, many Americans didn't have health

After four decades of failure to enact a universal healthcare program, advocates decided to refine their approach in the 1950s, and the strategy that ultimately led to the passage of Medicare and Medicaid was formulated. Wilbur Cohen and I.S. Falk recognized that a health insurance plan focused on Social Security beneficiaries would be much easier to sell than a plan for all Americans. By limiting its benefits to the elderly, Medicare could be portrayed as a program for people who met two important criteria: they had greater need for healthcare coverage and they were especially deserving of public assistance. Because of their age, seniors have relatively high medical costs--when Medicare was passed, average healthcare expenses for people sixty-five or older were twice the average expenses for younger persons. (Orentlicher, D. (2012).