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Pelosi Statement on the 45th Anniversary of Medicare’s Implementation Tomorrow

June 30, 2011

Contact: Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today marking the 45th anniversary of the implementation of Medicare, which falls tomorrow, July 1. President Johnson signed Medicare into law on July 30, 1965, and then the Medicare program began to be implemented on July 1, 1966.

“For 45 years, Medicare has stood as a bedrock promise to the American people: providing economic security for our seniors, guaranteeing a dignified retirement, and rewarding Americans’ lifetimes of work with, as President Lyndon Johnson said, ‘dignity in their later years.’

“To mark this anniversary, Republicans have put forward a plan to end Medicare, reduce benefits, and raise health costs for seniors – all in order to give tax breaks to Big Oil and corporations that ship American jobs overseas.

“Democrats will not let them succeed. We will uphold our responsibility to seniors today and to future generations: to strengthen, preserve, and protect Medicare; to ensure that it continues to serve as a source of stability and health for all Americans.”

Issues:Health Care