The Affordable Care Act contains many provisions that strengthen the Medicare program. However, polling data recently released by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a nonprofit service and advocacy organization whose mission is to improve the lives of older Americans, especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, reveal that many seniors are still confused by the new law, including the provisions that directly relate to Medicare and senior health.

To provide further information about the benefits of the health care law and seniors, the NCOA launched a new educational campaign to help seniors understand what is in the new law and how it will affect them. The Straight Talk for Seniors on Health Reform campaign provides fact sheets and other resources about seniors and health reform.  The campaign can be found at:

http://www.ncoa.org/public-policy/health-care-reform/straight-talk-for-seniors-on.html

Recently, we were doing some research in the archived editions of the NASW News.  We came across a copy of this telegram sent from NASW to President Kennedy on May 25, 1962:

“The National Association of Social Workers through its Board of Directors meeting today commends the president for your personal leadership in taking the case for health care for the elderly through social security directly to the voters.  We believe the American people will accept your word that the program embodied in the King-Anderson bill is not a sinister effort to bring about socialized medicine but a natural step forward in the physical and social development of this country.  We believe it actually represents the minimal program which should be offered to meet the needs of the ill and aging and support its adoption without further amendment or change.  In many cities social workers have actively participated in the meetings and rallies to encourage its adoption. ” 

Unfortunately, President Kennedy did not live to see the measure enacted.  Over three years later, President Johnson signed the Medicare legislation into law on July 30, 1965. 

Today is the 45th anniversary of this momentous and popular government program.  NASW was there at the beginning and continues today to advocate for a strong and quality Medicare system.

At 16, I finally entered the “real working world” with a part-time job at McDonald’s making minimum wage. In addition to earning money for a school trip to Germany, I also started contributing to the Social Security System. Every year, close to my birthday, I am reminded of those earnings and my lifelong work history when I receive my statement from Social Security. Like most of us, I have a long relationship with Social Security.

August 14 marks the 75^th anniversary of Social Security. An old-age insurance program was on the list of things social worker Frances Perkins asked President Roosevelt to support before she would agree to be the Secretary of Labor. In a 1962 presentation, Ms. Perkins details the political history and enactment of this program. She says,

“I suppose the roots–the idea that we ought to have a systematic method of taking care of the material needs of the aged–really springs from … the efforts and the struggles of charity workers and social workers to handle the problems of people who were growing old and had no adequate means of support.”

In honor of the anniversary, The Frances Perkins’ Center has developed the “Social Security Stories Project” to document how social security has made a difference in peoples’ lives. They are accepting written submissions of 400 words or less, or about three minutes of video.

There are certainly important discussions and questions about the future of Social Security that need to be addressed; however, I think as social workers we can hope like Frances Perkins did in 1962 that, “It is safe forever, and for the everlasting benefit of the people of the United States.”