Medicare Celebrates 50 Years of Helping America’s Seniors and DisabledBrady: We’re working to keep Medicare around for another 50 YearsWashington, DC – U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, released the following statement on the 50th anniversary of Medicare, an insurance program that aids more than 50 million American seniors and disabled. “Medicare is a critically important health care program but it faces insolvency in a short 15 years. Republicans and Democrats need to work together, to act now to save Medicare for the long term. Our seniors and future Americans are counting on us. “This year Congress acted successfully to achieve the first important step in saving Medicare by solving the way Medicare pays local doctors. For step two, the Ways & Means Committee is already hard at work on improving the way Medicare pays our health care providers such as hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation hospitals and other post-acute services for seniors. And next year we will turn our attention to the third and final step to saving Medicare for the long term which is offering better and smarter personalized Medicare options for seniors. None of this is easy, but it’s critical if we want to keep the promise of Medicare for another 50 years.” Background: On July 30, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law legislation that established the Medicare and Medicaid programs to serve as health-insurance programs for Americans who did not have coverage. |
