A Brief History of Healthcare Reform from the early 1900's to Today

We tend to think of healthcare reform being something new, but in one way or another, it has been an issue since the early 1900's. Healthcare reform has been a bipartisan issue for decades - it is only recently that it has become such a divisive issue.

•       1912-1914 Theodore Roosevelt made the 1^st attempts at healthcare reform; it failed because of WWI and opposition by the labor unions.

•       1933-36 Franklin Roosevelt looked at healthcare reform, but never introduced it in order to save his plan for social security.

•       1946 Harry Truman waged a relentless campaign to enact universal healthcare coverage; it was defeated by opposition from the AMA.

•       1947 Richard Nixon introduced a bill for healthcare coverage

•       1960 John Kennedy and Richard Nixon both endorsed universal healthcare as part of their campaigns for president

•       1965 Lyndon Johnson signed into law Medicare and Medicaid, but not universal healthcare as hoped.

•       1972 An unlikely coalition of Richard Nixon, Ted Kennedy and Wilbur Mills all agreed on the need for universal healthcare coverage. It was stopped by scandal – first Fannie Fox, an exotic dancer linked to Wilbur Mills, then Watergate.

•       1993 Bill and Hillary Clinton took on healthcare reform, but never made it to Congress

• March 23, 2010  Healthcare Reform becomes law with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)  
  We still have a long way to go - the Affordable Care Act provides access, but does not address all the issues. Only by working together can we make our healthcare system the best it can be - for all Americans.