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WHEREAS, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Medicare program to provide health care insurance for the elderly with the intent purpose to reduce poverty among seniors and significantly improve the financial security of American families; and,
WHEREAS, the passage of Medicare led to the rapid desegregation of 99.6% of U. S. hospitals and continues to reduce health disparities related to race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and as a result, 55 million seniors and people with disabilities have access to guaranteed health care benefits; and,
WHEREAS, Medicare is a model of how a publicly financed care program can assure millions of Americans access to medically necessary care while controlling costs, spending only about 2% on administration which is about 6 times less than what commercial insurers spend on overhead; and,
WHEREAS, Medicare’s guaranteed benefit is a lifeline to millions of Americans. The evolution of the Medicare legislation has been built on President Johnson’s vision to “assure availability and accessibility to the best healthcare to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status”.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and reflect on the critical role that Medicare plays in protecting the health and well- being of millions of families, setting standards for how care is delivered and having the ability to strengthen and improve health care for future generations. The Council of the City of Pittsburgh salutes Medicare on its 50th Anniversary and urges residents to find creative ways to celebrate this monumental Anniversary for our nation.