The 1965 amendments actually proved very easy to legislate, with over 70 percent majorities in both chambers. President Johnson signed the bill on July 30. No disruptive town-hall meetings or tea parties that August!
Although I’m pleased that the 2009 bill is taking a lot longer, I must confess surprise. Maybe Medicare did not launch us down the slippery slope to socialized medicine, as Ronald Reagan feared. Maybe its shortcomings have served as a warning. It’s too early to tell — but I’m optimistic.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
On the Grinding Pace of the Health-Care Take-Over: A Historical Perspective
John R. Graham
The 1965 amendments actually proved very easy to legislate, with over 70 percent majorities in both chambers. President Johnson signed the bill on July 30. No disruptive town-hall meetings or tea parties that August!
Although I’m pleased that the 2009 bill is taking a lot longer, I must confess surprise. Maybe Medicare did not launch us down the slippery slope to socialized medicine, as Ronald Reagan feared. Maybe its shortcomings have served as a warning. It’s too early to tell — but I’m optimistic.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.