60 years ago today, Medicaid and Medicare were established and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. 314 Action President Shaughnessy Naughton released the following statement:
“60 years ago, Medicaid and Medicare were created as the answer to a health care crisis, providing life-saving coverage to millions of Americans every single year. But 60 years later, we are on the brink of another crisis.
“The GOP’s budget bill cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid and the ACA and rips health care coverage away from 17 million Americans. This bill will decimate rural hospitals, shut down ER rooms and worsen staffing shortages in our health care system. This is a death sentence for veterans, senior citizens, low-income families, and sick children — and with the threat of a tariff war on pharmaceuticals and Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring at the end of the year, Trump has created a crisis of the uninsured.
“Health care will be the defining issue of 2026. We’re rolling up our sleeves to work harder than ever to elect leaders who will restore and protect Medicaid and Medicare coverage. Doctors have seen first-hand how critical Medicaid and Medicare are for our health system, which is why we’re calling on more of them to run for office. Now, more than ever, we need their expertise and voice in Congress. It’s time to fight for our lives and we won’t stop until we oust Republicans who turned their backs on the American people.”