Legislation1965
Medicare Signed into Law
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, with the 81-year-old former President Truman at his side. Truman received the first Medicare card in recognition of his earlier advocacy for national health insurance.
Why It Matters
Medicare represented a major expansion of the federal government's role in social welfare, establishing that older Americans have a right to health coverage regardless of income or health status.