Despite the fact that the United States is well behind other developed countries as far as health care goes, the debate in this country still rages over whether or not medical care should be taken out of the private sector and become a public program. But it's hardly a new argument in this country, as the steps toward public health services began on this day in 1965, when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed Medicare into law.
Medicare, a program still in effect today, provides elderly Americans with health insurance fueled by public funds. The concept was first proposed 20 years earlier by Harry Truman, but the idea was shot down in Congress. In a fitting move, President Johnson signed the bill into law at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, where Truman himself became the first person enrolled in the new program and received the first Medicare card.
When the new law took effect in 1966, 19 million people enrolled in the program. Today, around 50 million Americans take advantage of Medicare, which has evolved a number of times since its inception. In 1972, eligibility was extended to people under the age of 65 who had a particular set of disabilities (including people of all ages with permanent kidney disease that required dialysis or transplants). In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act was signed into law, which added expanded prescription drug benefits to Medicare members.
Medicare covers all manner of afflictions, though it's uncertain whether or not it will cover you if you "Bang Your Head" too much. Teach us something about "Metal Health," Quiet Riot.