In 1965, the United States took a huge leap forward by providing hundreds of millions of Americans with health security through Medicare & Medicaid. Join the National Academy of Social Insurance as we commemorate what has been accomplished over the past 50 years, take stock of the challenges and opportunities ahead, and use this anniversary to strengthen the programs.

Watch the videos, download the presentations, read the reports, and otherwise peruse the work of top experts who have been part of the Academy’s ongoing celebration of Medicare and Medicaid. A full list of events and materials is available here.

PROGRAM

WHO

WHEN

WHERE

Medicare and Medicaid: The Next 50 Years
Policy Research Conference
300+ Top experts in Medicare, Medicaid, and social insurance policy and research

Watch videos of sessions from the conference and download speakers’ presentations

January 2015 Washington, DC + Web-based access nationwide
Medicare and Medicaid at 50 and Beyond
Policy Symposia Series
1,000+ Active stakeholders in Medicare and Medicaid policy development and program administration

Spring, Summer, Fall 2015 Washington, DC + other cities
Working Together: An Initiative to Improve Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities

 

Professionals with expertise in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and other programs at the state, federal or local level that facilitate access to services and supports; an understanding of the needs of individuals with disabilities; experience providing services and supports for individuals with disabilities; experience advocating for the needs of individuals with disabilities; and/or an interest in studying and improving services and supports for persons with disabilities.

See the results and winners

Spring 2015 Nationwide
2015 Robert M. Ball Award Banquet:

Honoring Karen Davis, Director of the Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and former President of the Commonwealth Fund

Event Committee Co-Chairs:

David Blumenthal, President, Commonwealth Fund

Karen Ignagni, President America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)

Guests will include 300-400 top public policy, civil society, and business leaders

Visit the event page for more details

Karen Davis’ speech, “Changing Beneficiaries, Changing Times”

June 2015 Washington, DC
Demystifying Medicare and Medicaid at 50: Academies for Students and Young Professionals

 

1,000+ Students and young professionals, including medical and business students Summer and Fall 2015 Washington, DC + University campuses across the country
Medicare and Medicaid at 50 and Beyond
New Research, Analyses, and Publications
1,000+ Active stakeholders in Medicare and Medicaid policy development and program administration Throughout 2015 Nationwide
Covered: A Week-by-Week Look at the 1965 Politics that Created Medicare and Medicaid

 

Bob Rosenblatt, a Senior Fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance and former Los Angeles Times Washington correspondent, blogs on the maneuvers that led to the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30th, 1965, the first major expansion of U.S. social insurance to health care. January – July 2015 NASI’s website
Insights from the Top: An Oral History of Medicare and Medicaid This project, carried out in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is led by Professor Edward Berkowitz of The George Washington University, who developed the previous oral histories compiled for CMS at the 30th anniversary of the two programs.

Interviews were conducted with two dozen CMS leaders, including former Administrators, as well as Acting and Deputy Administrators.

Expected release: Late Summer, 2015 Washington, DC

Check back regularly for updates!

The Academy is committed to providing the public and members of the policy community with a platform for productive dialogue around the history and future of these two vital programs.  The year-long Medicare and Medicaid at 50 and Beyond celebration program builds on the Academy’s strengths across various areas of social insurance – gathering the best research and innovative thinking on how these vital programs will serve the changing needs of Americans over the next 50 years; reaching policy and industry leaders with broadly-supported, expert-based recommendations; and engaging and educating current and future beneficiaries.

Questions or suggestions for the Celebration Program? Please contact Lee Goldberg, Vice President for Health Policy, at lgoldberg[at]nasi.org. To learn about partnership opportunities, please contact Kristine Quinio at kquinio[at]nasi.org.

The Academy’s Medicare and Medicaid at 50 and Beyond Celebration Program is made possible thanks to support from


 
and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President’s Grant Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.