NPR reviews the heated debate over the creation of Medicare and Medicaid

NPR gives a historical perspective on current reform efforts with an interview about the debate during the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.

NPR reports: "One of the big fears among those crowding town hall meetings is that their coverage under Medicare will be cut. The public debate was almost as passionate 45 years ago when Congress was considering creating Medicare and Medicaid. James Morone is co-author of a new book, The Heart of Power: Health and Politics in the Oval Office. Renee Montagne interviewed him about the debates involving Medicare and Medicaid during the Johnson administration" (8/26).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.