CTLawyer -” I don’t think it was appeasing the elderly.”
You’re right – it wasn’t just appeasing the elderly – it was appeasing All Libs.
They made Medicaid & Medicare to Push Liberalism on all US citizens!
From the NewYorker:
“On July 30th, Johnson signed the Medicare bill, in Independence, Missouri, with former President Harry Truman standing beside him. For the first time, the federal government would play a direct role in the health-care system. Most liberals wanted much more, but they understood that passing Medicare and Medicaid was itself a historic step.
With the passage of Medicare and Medicaid, decades of obstruction came to an end. But turning a legislator like Mills was not easy. Persuasion and negotiation could only go so far. It took a big election, with voters changing the balance of power on Capitol Hill, to get him moving in the right direction.”