The Accidental Administrative Law of the Medicare Program

On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which established the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This legislation was the result of multiple efforts by the Democratic Party to bring government sponsored health insurance coverage to the American people. The legislation, by today's standards, was simple. The Statutes at Large version of the legislation is less than 30,000 words.