The Medicare and Medicaid health coverage programs were signed into law July 30, 1965. The Kaiser Family Foundation has some new resources that examine how Medicare and Medicaid came into existence and how they have evolved over the past 40 years. You will find new documentaries and extended interviews with key policymakers and government officials examining the origins of Medicare and Medicaid, new interactive historical timelines, a chart pack of key information and statistics, a webcast of a retrospective of the two programs with historian Robert Dallek and key government officials responsible for the programs over the past 40 years, and many other background resources on the two programs.

 Medicare and Medicaid at 40 (retrospective video and interviews) 

 Medicare: A Timeline of Key Developments

 Medicaid: A Timeline of Key Developments

 Key Medicare and Medicaid Statistics

 Event webcast: Medicare & Medicaid at 40: A Retrospective

Health Affairs articles (free access)
- CMS Reflections: A Milestone For Medicare And Medicaid | Abstract | Reprint
- The Genesis Of HCFA, Robert A. Derzon | Abstract | Reprint
- Turning Medicare And Medicaid Into Health Programs: The Role Of Organizational Culture, Leonard D. Schaeffer | Abstract | Reprint
- Medicare, Medicaid, And Health Care Quality, William L. Roper | Abstract | Reprint
- The Twin Policy Challenges Of Medicare Physician Payment And Medicaid, Gail R. Wilensky | Abstract | Reprint
- My Life At HCFA: A True Parable, Bruce C. Vladeck | Abstract | Reprint
- What Does It Take To Run Medicare And Medicaid?, Nancy-Ann DeParle | Abstract | Reprint
- Policy High Points: Medicare And Medicaid In The New Millennium, Thomas A. Scully | Abstract | Reprint