250 to 250:102. Medicare and Medicaid Act, Narrated by Senator Andy Kim

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Medicare and Medicaid Act, Narrated by Senator Andy Kim

Senator Andy Kim is an American politician and former diplomat known for being the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate and the first Asian American elected to federal office from New Jersey. Senator Kim works as a key defender against Medicare and Medicaid cuts and privatization while serving on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging.  Here, Senator Kim traces the road to Medicare and Medicaid, from Truman's Fair Deal to Lyndon Johnson's 1965 signing that expanded health coverage to millions. 

After World War II, President Harry Truman introduced the Fair Deal.

• He wanted better public housing, civil rights, and health insurance for all Americans.
• Congress raised the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour.
• Congress also gave Social Security benefits to more people.
• Congress did not pass a national health insurance program during Truman’s presidency.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson supported the Great Society program.

• Congress created Medicare and Medicaid that year.
• Medicare is a federal health insurance program, mainly for people age 65 and older.
• Medicaid helps eligible people with limited income. The federal and state governments pay for it.
• These programs have helped millions of Americans receive health care.
• President Johnson signed the new law on July 30, 1965.
• He gave the first Medicare cards to former President Truman and his wife, Bess Truman, to honor Truman’s work.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz: 

• N-400 Part 2:12.a. Do you want Social Security administration (SSA) to issue an original or replacement Social Security card and update your immigration status with the SSA if and when you are naturalized?
• USCIS 100:33.  / 128.43. Who signs bills to become laws?
• Reading: What does Congress do?
• Writing:  
• Congress makes laws. 
• Congress makes laws in Washington D.C.
• Congress meets in Washington D.C. to make laws.

Family Fun:

• AARP Answers: Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D (Explained)
• CMS: History of Medicare and Medicaid (timeline)
• House: President Harry S. Truman’s Fair Deal proposal to a Joint Session of Congress
• LBJ Presidential Library: Medicare and Medicaid Act
• Medicare: All non-English publications
• Medicare: Looking for help in other languages? 
  If you, or someone you’re helping, has questions about Medicare, you have the right to get help and information in your language at no cost. To talk to an interpreter, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
• Medicare Advocacy: Explainer: Changes to Medicare Eligibility Based on Immigration Status  H.R. 1 and Proposed Implementing Regulations August 2026 
• Monday Mandala: Doctor & Nurse Coloring Pages
• National Archives: Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965)
• Refugee and Immigration Services: Community Education Videos playlist (many videos about Medicaid in multiple languages)
• Senate: Medicare Signed Into Law
• Truman Library: Signing Medicare into Law | The First Medicare Cards
• USAHello: A guide to health insurance for immigrants