The Hill News

Sen. Reid made the following remarks today on the Senate floor on Medicare.

Often very good ideas â€" no matter how important â€" take time to ripen. And even when they are ripe, they need dedicated advocates to make them reality. Let me give you an example.

President Harry Truman once said this:

“Millions of our citizens do not now have a full measure of opportunity to achieve and to enjoy good health. Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness. And the time has now arrived for action to help them attain that opportunity and to help them get that protection.”

But in 1945, when Truman spoke those words to Congress, the time had not yet truly arrived. In fact, it would be another 20 years before Truman’s good idea was realized. It was 20 years before Truman became the first of 19 million Americans to receive a Medicare card.

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