This guide helps readers understand the past, present, and future of America''s Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health care services and medical coverage to millions of Americans across the USA.

In the decades since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation creating the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs in 1965, hundreds of millions of older and low-income Americans and people with disabilities have benefited. This book provides in-depth coverage of the origins, history, and evolution of both programs, as well as a guide to present-day problems, controversies, and reforms related to each of these programs. Readers will also benefit from a wide range of perspectives from scholars, advocates, critics, and beneficiaries on the goals and performances of Medicare and Medicaid over time.