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[STAFF REPORT]
Happy birthday,Medicare!
Here's wishing us many more
y
On July 30, nurses, seniors, and healthcare
activists threw a huge cross-country, 25-city celebration of Medicare'
50th birthday, and Medicare was, as always, the life of the party.
"For many, Medicare—and Medicaid—has saved their lives," said
Karen Higgins, RN and a copresident of National Nurses United at
the Washington, D.C. rally. "Nurses at the bedside see the human
value of Medicare every day: ensuring that seniors get the care that
they need, keeping them healthy, saving them from bankruptcy due
to medical costs."
Exactly 50 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare
and Medicaid into law, respectively providing a federal health insur-
ance program for Americans over age 65 and those of low income.
Together with Social Security, which had been passed 15 years before,
they have proved to be the most successful anti-poverty programs in
