60 Years of Medicare and Medicaid
Letters from an American
July 30, 2026
Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that “the health of this nation is a national concern,” John F Kennedy made the expansion of health insurance a priority, but faced strong opposition, With LBJ’s victory in 1964, he had the votes to pass Medicare and Medicaid, But in 2026 the Republicans are rejecting LBJ’s vision of a government that works to support its people, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act partially offset its tax custs with cuts to Medicaid, and the administration now plans to cut a program capping the cost of drugs for Medicare recipients.
Watch today's recording here: youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KK...
Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/sub...
You can also find me:
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.so...
Instagram: @heathercoxrichardson
Facebook: facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
YouTube: @heathercoxrichardson
Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe
Raw Description
<p>July 30, 2026</p><p>Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that “the health of this nation is a national concern,” John F Kennedy made the expansion of health insurance a priority, but faced strong opposition, With LBJ’s victory in 1964, he had the votes to pass Medicare and Medicaid, But in 2026 the Republicans are rejecting LBJ’s vision of a government that works to support its people, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act partially offset its tax custs with cuts to Medicaid, and the administration now plans to cut a program capping the cost of drugs for Medicare recipients.</p><p>Watch today's recording here: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-">https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-</a></p><p>Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: <a target="_blank" href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe">https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe</a></p><p>You can also find me:</p><p>Bluesky: <a target="_blank" href="https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social</a></p><p>Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en</a></p><p>Facebook: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/">https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/</a></p><p>YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson">https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Letters from an American at <a href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4">heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe</a>
Show Notes
July 30, 2026
Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that “the health of this nation is a national concern,” John F Kennedy made the expansion of health insurance a priority, but faced strong opposition, With LBJ’s victory in 1964, he had the votes to pass Medicare and Medicaid, But in 2026 the Republicans are rejecting LBJ’s vision of a government that works to support its people, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act partially offset its tax custs with cuts to Medicaid, and the administration now plans to cut a program capping the cost of drugs for Medicare recipients.
Watch today's recording here: youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KK...
Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/sub...
You can also find me:
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.so...
Instagram: @heathercoxrichardson
Facebook: facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
YouTube: @heathercoxrichardson
Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe
Raw Description
<p>July 30, 2026</p><p>Sixty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid went into effect, Congress had amended the Social Security Act of 1935 to establish the two national health insurance programs, for seniors and for people who qualified on the basis of income, In 1945 Harry Truman had proposed an Economic Bill of Rights tht guaranteed certain rights including the right to adequate medical care, Truman said that “the health of this nation is a national concern,” John F Kennedy made the expansion of health insurance a priority, but faced strong opposition, With LBJ’s victory in 1964, he had the votes to pass Medicare and Medicaid, But in 2026 the Republicans are rejecting LBJ’s vision of a government that works to support its people, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act partially offset its tax custs with cuts to Medicaid, and the administration now plans to cut a program capping the cost of drugs for Medicare recipients.</p><p>Watch today's recording here: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-">https://www.youtube.com/live/g9TUa1Rwd6U?si=T8_KKcHQZElhpnZ-</a></p><p>Get full, free access to Letters from an American here: <a target="_blank" href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe">https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe</a></p><p>You can also find me:</p><p>Bluesky: <a target="_blank" href="https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social</a></p><p>Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en</a></p><p>Facebook: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/">https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/</a></p><p>YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson">https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson</a></p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Letters from an American at <a href="https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4">heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe</a>