Medicare at age 50 shows how popular and effective a government program can be

July 30 is the 50^th anniversary of the day President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law. For most Americans, that is cause for celebration.

But it took awhile for Medicare to win over Americans' hearts. The idea of government health care coverage for the elderly and disabled was extremely controversial at first. For a taste of just how controversial, click here for a 1961 recording of then-actor Ronald Reagan warning that an early version of Medicare could lead to a entire socialist economy.

Nevertheless, since it became law in 1965, Medicare has become part of the fabric of American life and a mainstay of our entire health care system.

A recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals how popular Medicare is today. (To see all of the poll's results, click here.) Seventy-seven percent of respondents called it a "very important" government program. That is lower than the percentage for Social Security (83%) but higher than that for national defense and the military (73%). The results show a slight partisan split, but Medicare is still ranked as "very important" by a large majority of Republicans, 69%. Ronald Reagan's warning seems to have lost some of its sting over the years.

Forty-one percent of respondents wanted Medicare spending to increase, 48% wanted it to stay the same, and only 8% wanted it shrink. More than double that percentage, 19%, would cut spending on national defense.

Today, Medicare is partially privatized, with more than 30% of beneficiaries receiving coverage through a private health plan. Some politicians would go even further and privatize the entire program.

What do Americans think of that idea? By a margin of almost 3-1 (70% to 26%), they disapprove. Even Republican respondents opposed the idea by more than 2-1 (64%-31%). Most Americans like Medicare as it is.

Medicare faces major challenges, mostly in the form of rising costs as medicine becomes increasingly expensive and the number of beneficiaries grows with the aging of the baby boom population. Those challenges will almost certainly lead to changes in the years ahead.

But the challenges stem in large part from the program's success. Without Medicare to cover many of the neediest patients, American health care would not have had the resources to advance as dramatically as it has over the past half century. Those advances have extended life spans, which has meant more beneficiaries receiving expensive treatments. Medicare costs a lot, but we get a lot in return.

If you are looking for evidence of the power of government programs to improve our lives, Medicare would be a good place to start.

-----

Have a health care question or frustration? Share your story »