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Pelosi Statement on 57th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

July 29, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released this statement ahead of the 57th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, which were signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 30, 1965:

"Fifty-seven years ago, the United States fundamentally transformed the way we care for the most vulnerable members of our society. In the decades since President Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, they have stood as pillars of health, security and justice for generations of Americans.

"Yet even as we celebrate one of our nation's greatest legislative achievements, Republicans are plotting to end Medicare and Medicaid entirely – tearing away coverage from tens of millions of Americans. House Democrats are standing up to these cruel attacks and fighting for greater access to quality, affordable health care. Through the Affordable Care Act, Democrats have expanded Medicaid coverage to 21 million Americans. And with the Inflation Reduction Act, we will advance a longtime House Democratic priority: empowering Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs.

"Guided by President Biden's vision of equity and justice, House Democrats remain committed to realizing the bedrock promise of Medicare and Medicaid: that health care is a right, not a privilege. We will never relent in our fight to build a healthier, more secure future for all Americans: expanding coverage, bringing down premiums and slashing prescription drug costs."