Rabbi’s Corner – A Healthy Debate Edition

Today President Lyndon Johnson officially signed into law which created the Medicare program. Written as an amendment to Social Security to provide medical care to Americans over the age of 65, the specifics of Medicare coverage have changed over the years as well as its surrounding controversy. According to Robert Ball, one Medicare’s creators, the intent of its designers was “a first step toward universal coverage” but settled for something less ambitious and thus more politically viable. The elderly were an ideal group for a government program due to their difficulties in obtaining private health insurance in the open market, and eventually the law was passed. In recent years the topic of government controlled health care has become one of the most controversial and politically divisive to the point where demonstrations have turned violent, ironically causing physical injury. While new healthcare legislation was recently passed, the debate will no doubt continue for years to come. Hopefully future debates will be carried out with the dignity and respect for humanity which Medicare originally sought to provide. Ball, Robert M. (Winter 1995). “Perspectives On Medicare: What Medicare’s Architects Had In Mind”. Health Affairs 14 (4): 62–72. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/14/4/62.pdf Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Josh Yuter