Introduction to Civil Rights, Senior Citizens, and Medicare

By the 1960s, politicians had given up on the idea of universal health insurance for all. Instead, they compromised on a system that would cover only those groups not reachable by the private health system: the elderly and the very poor. Thanks to initial support from President John F. Kennedy, pressure from senior citizens and civil rights organizations, and finally the strong-arm tactics of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Congress passed Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. Medicare not only brought health security to senior citizens, but also represented a turning point in civil rights history as the new federal funding forced hospitals to comply with racial desegregation.

This module was adapted from content created by Beatrix Hoffman, Professor of History at Northern Illinois University. The original content can be found on the National Library of Medicine website Links to an external site..