THE EVOLUTION
OF MEDICARE
...from idea to law

by PETER A. CORNING

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND STATISTICS

Research Report No. 29

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 70-650153

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 65 cents

3-19-70

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES

Foreword

HEALTH INSURANCE for the aged, popularly known as Medicare, has had a broad impact on the living patterns of Americans, young and old. The legislation, which provides low-cost hospitalization and medical insurance for the Nation's elderly, directly aids nearly one-tenth of the population. Millions of younger people also bene

fit indirectly by being relieved of heavy financial responsibility when an aged member of the family encounters major health expense.

Though the program is still new, the idea of Government health insurance antedated the Medicare law by many years. The gradual evolution of this concept throughout much of this century provides an excellent case history illustrating how major social policy decisions in the United States are refined and shaped by the legislative process. From 1935, when the first health insurance bill was introduced in Congress, to 1965, when