Patient Empowerment And The Health Insurance Industry

The delivery of the U.S. healthcare system has changed drastically over the years from the inception of organized healthcare to today’s underdeveloped system. Prior to the 1920’s,

Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to talk about healthcare reform, then in 1948, Harry Truman made it his platform for the elections. In 1960 was the creation of two major reforms, Medicare and Medicaid, which some people called the socialism king of programs.

In 1943, Senator Murray, Edward Wagner and Congress man Dingell introduced the United States National Health Insurance bill, the acting president at the time, Roosevelt, did not endorse the bill but was supportive(5). The National Health Insurance wasn’t a new concept. In 1883, Otto von Bismark introduced an obligatory health insurance program(6). Its’ success expanded the concept of social insurance in Europe and America. Without official endorsement by the president and with the war still going on, the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill died in committee.

The 1960’s brought us a rise in the number of people who are having a difficult time paying for health care insurance. This era also brought about Medicare and Medicaid by President Lyndon Johnson. There is an increase of medical professionals who have begun calling themselves specialist. During 1960, this grew from 55% to 69%.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to talk about healthcare reform, then in 1948, Harry Truman made it his platform for the elections. In 1960 was the creation of two major reforms, Medicare and Medicaid, which some people called the socialism king of programs.

I selected the 1965 Social Security Amendments (Medicare/Medicaid). Up until 1965 private insurance was available to the middle class as a source to pay health cost (Shi & Singh, 2015). The low-income, unemployed, and elderly did not have insurance to pay for their health cost and often delayed needed medical care due to cost (Shi & Singh, 2015). As a turning point, under President Lyndon B. Johnson, the 1965 amendments to Social Security was created and signed for Medicare and Medicaid.

He strongly supported the health care reform from the beginning of his presidency. His concept was that one of the most important part of a nations strenght is in the health of his citizens, to participate in a democracy needs good phisically position. A big public support surrounded the plan, about 74,3 % of American favoured national health insurance. It was assumed that they will continue this regulation after War too. It was necessary to sustain economic growth and fight against post war depression. The work on the health insurance was delayed by other political consideration, but this was a fatal idea. The American people had the impression that Truman was an inefficient president. To show their opinion they sent a Republican Congress to Washington in 1946. After this alarm President Truman started to change. In 1947 Senator Robert Taft tried to challenge Democrats to put the health care insurance into the campaigne plan. That was unfortunately for Taft and for the Republicans, because the plan backfired. Truman made the health care to the cornerstone of his campaigne. He attacked Republicans on their weakest point: „We worked out a painstaking plan for national medical care… It provided for new hospitals, clinics, health centers, research and a system of national health insurance. Who killed it?

President Harry Truman was the first president to call for a national health insurance program. His first attempt failed in 1945. He would try again in 1947 and 1949 but failed to make it through Congress. It would be another 20 years before the idea of a national health insurance would come to fruition. On July 30th 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed Medicare into law. Immediately upon signing the law into effect, President Johnson issued 81 year old former President Harry Truman the very first Medicare card. In its first year of enactment, the Medicare program received 19 million enrollees. Medicare is a national health insurance program provided for Americans who are 65 years of age and older and who have worked/paid into the

Johnson cared for the senior citizens of the United States of America by ratifying the Medicare act. The Medicare Act would provide health insurance to the senior citizens of America (Pg. 614). In document 3 it is stated that since 1965, 79 million Americans have decided to sign up for the Medicare Act Johnson passed in 1965. Johnson also ratified the Medicaid Act which provided health and medical assistance to the low-income families of America (Pg. 614). The ¨since 1966, Medicaid Act served more than 200 million needy Americans,¨ (Document

First, I would like to start off with Medicare. President Johnson signed the Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, into a law on July 30, 1965 with full coverage in the beginning of 1966. To qualify for Medicare you have to be 65 and older, people who are under the age of 65 with certain disabilities, and people of all ages with End-Stage Renal Disease,

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).

During this time, Senator Kennedy made the first attempt since the Kennedy Administration to make efforts towards a major health reform. President Nixon’s National Health Insurance Act was in competition in Congress with Senator Kennedy’s Health Security Act. The Health Security Act would be like “Medicare for All” financed by a federal single-payer. This program would end the need for premiums and private health insurance. The Health Security act didn’t make it far in Congress, but it was good to resurface the topic of universal health insurance since the Truman Administration. (Markel, 2015)

The creation of a national health insurance program has been a political conversation since the Early 1940s. In 1940, approximately nine of ten Americans lacked health

When John Kennedy became president the American medical so you going to promote Medicare a health insurance for people with disabilities in stage diseases and people over 65. He'd advertised on the television, the radio, large mailings, and speaking tours, even churches began to involve themselves to support Medicare. Kennedy spoke to one large groups of people who traveled across the country to support the legislation. While Kennedy failed to pass Medicare the issue didn't die. Healthcare continue to advance and so did the price.

But if you're 68 years old that might not be just that easy so he promised that woman over 62 and men over 65 that have been contributing to the social security should receive some kind of assistance whether it is with the hospitalizations or with their medicine bills. "Those who are contributing to social security would be receiving some assistance when paying general medical bills." (John F. Kennedy). Since then Medicare developed and became much more complicated than that. There’s now a lot more benefits you can get even if you are under 65 years of age. For example Medicaid if you fall below a certain amount of income you could be eligible for