Summary
In July 1966, US government health insurance programme Medicare came into force, providing limited free health insurance for the over 65s. Ted Marmor was assistant to Wilbur Cohen, one of the architects of the plan. He speaks to Witness about his memories of that time.
PICTURE: President Lyndon B Johnson signs the Medicare Bill with Harry S Truman in Independence, Missouri on July 30, 1965. (AP Photo)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and thank you for downloading Witness with me Lucy Burns from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:05.0 | And today we're going back 50 years to July 1966 |
| 0:09.0 | when the Government Health Insurance Program Medicare came into effects in America. |
| 0:13.4 | The Harry S Truman Library at Independence Missouri |
| 0:20.8 | is a scene of an historic event. |
| 0:23.0 | President and Mrs Johnson and Vice President Humphrey |
| 0:26.0 | arrived for ceremonies that will make the Medicare bill |
| 0:29.0 | a part of Social Security coverage. |
| 0:32.0 | Medicare was a controversial bill offering free government health insurance for senior citizens. |
| 0:38.0 | The new bill expands the 30 year old Social Security program to provide hospital care, nursing home care, home nursing |
| 0:45.6 | service and outpatient treatment for those over 65. |
| 0:50.1 | Medicare will become law on July 1st, 1966. |
| 0:54.6 | But getting to that point hadn't been easy. |
| 0:57.5 | Ted Marma was a young researcher at Harvard University |
| 1:01.0 | and an expert on the many previous failed attempts to deliver a government health care program in the US. |
| 1:07.0 | In 1965, he'd been working on a seminar paper on one unsuccessful version from the late 1950s and was trying to interview the people |
| 1:15.9 | who'd been involved, including Wilbur Cohen, by then the Undersecretary for legislation of health, |
| 1:22.4 | education and Welfare. |
| 1:24.0 | When I walked in the door, Mr Cohen shook my hand, |
| 1:26.8 | he's a small man, almost badger-like, lively, |
| 1:30.9 | and he handed me back my seminar paper and said I've written on every page of it but I don't want to talk about that |
| 1:36.3 | I want to ask you whether or not you're willing to work for me right now. |
... |
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