Pelosi Statement on 53rd Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released this statement marking the 53rd anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid being signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 30, 1965:

"Fifty-three years ago, President Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, delivering essential guarantees of health and economic security for our seniors and working families. These pillars of American society have given generations of hard-working Americans the comfort of knowing they can live healthy, vibrant lives with dignity.

"Yet, year after year, Republicans have worked to gut Medicaid and shatter the sacred guarantee of Medicare to make it ‘wither on the vine'. The deficit-exploding GOP tax scam for the rich now directly threatens the future of Medicare and Medicaid, with Republicans using the excuse of its unpaid-for handouts to big corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent to cut Medicare by $500 billion and Medicaid by $1 trillion in their brutal budget. Republicans' malicious assault to undermine these bedrock promises have left the American people with a raw deal, jeopardizing our families' futures and the future of our economy.

"For over half a century, Medicare and Medicaid have provided affordable, quality health care to working families and to seniors, with Medicaid alone covering two-thirds of long-term care services. Democrats are fighting for A Better Deal for the people, with real action to strengthen the vital lifelines of Medicare and Medicaid, lower Americans' health care costs and protect the health care of people with pre-existing conditions."

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