Lyndon B. Johnson

==="War on Poverty" and healthcare reform===
[[File:Lyndon Johnson signing Medicare bill, with Harry Truman, July 30, 1965.jpg|thumb|Former president [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] and wife [[Bess Truman|Bess]] at Johnson's signing of the [[Medicare Bill]] in 1965, as [[Lady Bird Johnson|Lady Bird]] and [[Hubert Humphrey]] look on]]
In 1964, at Johnson's request, Congress passed the [[Revenue Act of 1964]] and the [[Economic Opportunity Act of 1964|Economic Opportunity Act]], as part of the [[war on poverty]]. Johnson set in motion legislation creating programs such as [[Head Start Program|Head Start]], [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program|food stamps]] and [[Federal Work-Study Program|Work Study]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/751/769950/Documents_Library/eoa1964.htm|title=Economic Opportunity Act of 1964|first=G. David|last=Garson|access-date=January 19, 2010}}</ref>

During the [[Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson administration]], national poverty declined significantly, with the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line dropping from 23 to 12&nbsp;percent.<ref name="histeval"/> Johnson took an additional step in the War on Poverty with an urban renewal effort, presenting to Congress in January 1966 the "Demonstration Cities Program". To be eligible, a city was required to demonstrate its readiness to "arrest blight and decay and make a substantial impact on the development of its entire city". Johnson requested an investment of $400&nbsp;million per year totaling $2.4&nbsp;billion. In fall 1966 the Congress passed a substantially reduced program costing $900&nbsp;million, which Johnson later called the [[Model Cities Program]]. Changing the name had little effect on the success of the bill; ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote 22&nbsp;years later that the program was largely a failure.<ref>{{harvnb|Dallek|1998|pp=320–322}}</ref>

Johnson's initial effort to improve healthcare was the creation of The Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Strokes (HDCS). These diseases accounted for 71&nbsp;percent of the nation's deaths in 1962.<ref>{{harvnb|Dallek|1998|p=204}}</ref> To enact recommendations of the commission, Johnson asked Congress for funds to set up the Regional Medical Program (RMP), to create a network of hospitals with federally funded research and practice; Congress passed a significantly watered-down version.

As a back-up position, in 1965 Johnson turned his focus to hospital insurance for the aged under Social Security.<ref>{{harvnb|Dallek|1998|p=205}}</ref> The key player in initiating this program, named [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]], was [[Wilbur Mills]], Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. To reduce Republican opposition, Mills suggested that Medicare be fashioned as three layers: hospital insurance under Social Security; a voluntary insurance program for doctor visits; and an expanded medical welfare program for the poor, known as [[Medicaid]].<ref>{{harvnb|Dallek|1998|p=208}}</ref> The bill passed the house by a margin of 110 votes on April 8. The effort in the Senate was considerably more complicated, but the Medicare bill passed Congress on July 28.<ref>{{harvnb|Dallek|1998|p=209}}</ref> Medicare now covers tens of millions of Americans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20000712.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080714214416/http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2000pres/20000712.html|archive-date=July 14, 2008|title=Medicare Celebrates 35 Years of Keeping Americans Healthy|access-date=January 19, 2010}}</ref> Johnson gave the first two Medicare cards to former President [[Harry S Truman]] and his wife [[Bess Truman|Bess]] after signing the Medicare bill at the [[Truman Library]] in [[Independence, Missouri]].<ref>Patricia P. Martin and David A. Weaver. "Social Security: A Program and Policy History," ''Social Security Bulletin'', volume 66, no. 1 (2005), see also [http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v66n1/v66n1p1.html online version].</ref>