1965:
President Johnson signed H.R. 6675 to establish Medicare for the elderly in Missouri. President Truman was the first to enroll in Medicare.
January 1965: President Johnson's first legislative message to the 89th Congress, Advancing the Nation's Health, detailed a program including hospital insurance for the aged under Social Security and health care for needy children.
March-July 1965: The House of Representatives (307-116) and the Senate (70-24) passed "the Mills Bill" (H.R. 6675), a package of health benefits and Social Security improvements.
July 30, 1965: President Johnson signed H.R. 6675 (Public Law 89-97) to establish Medicare for the elderly and Medicaid for the indigent in Independence, Missouri, in the presence of Harry S. Truman who advocated for such legislation in a message to Congress in 1945.
1965: President Truman was the first to enroll in Medicare.
1965:
• Medicare Part A deductible: $40/year
• Medicare Part B premium: $3/month
1966: The Social Security Administration announced the selection of private insurance companies to perform the major administrative functions of bill processing and benefit payment functions for Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of the Medicare program.
July 1, 1966: Medicare coverage began. All persons age 65 and over were automatically covered under Part A. Coverage began for seniors who signed up for the voluntary medical insurance program (Part B). More than 19 million individuals ages 65 and older were enrolled in Medicare.
1969: The Task Force on Prescription Drugs, chaired by Dr. Philip Lee, released its final report on the costs and feasibility of adding prescription drug coverage to Medicare.
