The President Who Saw the Future—But Couldn’t Change It

A Story of Change: Medicaid & Medicare I: Harry Truman’s Bold Vision for Universal Healthcare—and the Forces That Stopped It

Happy Presidents’ Day, Dose Squad!

Today is supposed to be a day to honor those who have sat behind the Resolute Desk, shaping the course of American history, making decisions that ripple through generations.

But let’s be honest—we’re not living in normal times.

(I mean I got a flat tire today … not normal times…sigh)

And while we could spend today reflecting on the usual Presidential achievements—wars fought, economies built, policies passed—there’s one battle that should have been won decades before it was.

Healthcare.

Imagine for a moment: What if America had reformed its healthcare system right after World War II?

What if, in the booming years after the war, when highways were built and industries flourished, we had also decided that every American deserved the security of medical care?

We almost did.

In fact, one president saw the future—he knew exactly what needed to be done.

But he couldn’t change it.

It would take two more decades, political fights, civil rights activism, and an economic shift before the nation finally caught up to what should have been obvious.

So why did it take so long?

Why was a healthcare system that protected millions delayed until the 1960s?

And most importantly—what does that history tell us about the fight we’re in today?

We are going to dive into this for the next couple of days but first…

Let’s take a journey back to the beginning.

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Right or Privilege? The Story of Healthcare in America

Picture this: It’s 1945.

The War is Over.

The world is trying to rebuild itself after its devastation. Factories that once produced tanks are now making cars. Soldiers are returning home, hopeful for a fresh start.

The American economy is booming.

But beneath the surface of this post-war optimism, there’s a crisis that no one wants to talk about.

Healthcare as a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.

Doctors’ visits? Hospital stays? Prescription medicine? If you’re not wealthy or lucky enough to have employer-based insurance, you’re on your own.

The elderly, the poor, and even working-class families live in fear of a medical emergency that could send them into financial ruin.

One man decided to fix this problem.

President Harry S. Truman knew that if America was truly to prosper, its people needed a safety net—a healthcare system that didn’t punish the sick for being sick.

President Harry S. Truman

So in November 1945, just months after the war ended, Truman stood before Congress and delivered a bold, unprecedented vision:

"All citizens should be able to get medical and hospital service, and the economic barriers to the prevention and treatment of illness should be removed."
—President Harry S. Truman

His vision?

A national health insurance program that would cover every wage-earning American. Workers would pay a small tax or fee to guarantee medical care—no one would be denied treatment because they couldn’t afford it.

Working with Senator Wagner and Murray and Rep. Dingell they introduced the National Health Act.

Patients could choose their own doctors, and hospitals would remain independent—this was not the "socialized medicine" that fearmongers would claim.

But with American politics, it’s never just about the policy—it’s about who holds the power.

The American Medical Association (AMA) launched an all-out war against his plan.

They called it "socialism" and warned of government overreach, flooding the media with propaganda designed to terrify the public.

President Harry S. Truman's response to a letter from his friend, Ben Turoff, in which Turoff criticized Truman's proposal for national health insurance. In his reply, Truman denies that his program is "socialized medicine," and asserts that the American Medical Association has misrepresented his efforts to provide government health insurance for middle-income Americans. ( National Archives)

They compared Truman’s plan to communist healthcare models in the Soviet Union, playing on Cold War fears.

Side note: Funny, how tables turn as the AMA is an extreme advocate for Medicare…

(not so much for Medicaid…hmmm)

As usual, congress—filled with lawmakers with ties to the medical lobby—folded under the pressure.

Truman’s national health insurance plan never even made it to a vote.

Though they attempted again in 1948, the bill would die again.

But ideas that are ahead of their time, don’t die.

Truman’s fight for healthcare may have ended, but it planted a seed.

Two decades later, that seed finally took root.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, calling Truman the "real Father of Medicare."

But 60 years later, in 2025, Medicare and Medicaid—the very programs that proved Truman right—are once again under attack.

And the question remains: Will we let history repeat itself?

Well let’s dive deeper into history to see.

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The Fight to Create Medicare and Medicaid

By the mid-20th century, America faced a healthcare crisis.

Medical advancements were improving health outcomes, but access to care remained deeply unequal.

Efforts to create a national health insurance system continued in the years after Truman’s presidency but were repeatedly met with resistance.

The AMA once again opposed these efforts, branding them as "socialized medicine" and stirring fears that government involvement in healthcare would destroy medical practice as they knew it.

But seeds always grow, despite the opposition, momentum grew.

With a good economic boom, post-World War II, Americans wanted the disparities in medical access addressed

And the civil rights movement brought further attention to systemic inequalities in healthcare.

Then, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson seized the political moment.

President Lyndon B Johnson

With a Democratic-controlled Congress and a public eager for progress, he championed the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which established Medicare and Medicaid.

The signing ceremony on July 30, 1965, was held in Independence, Missouri, in honor of former President Harry S. Truman, recognizing his early efforts toward a federal health insurance program.

As a symbolic gesture, Truman was enrolled as Medicare’s first official beneficiary.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Medicare Bill at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri on July 30, 1965. Former President Harry S. Truman is seated at the table with President Johnson. ( National Archives)

So Pause… Wasn’t This Series About Black People, Medicine, and Civil Rights?

And it still is.

Because you can’t talk about healthcare in America without talking about the fight for civil rights.

You can’t talk about Medicare and Medicaid without talking about how it forced hospitals to desegregate overnight.

( most successful systematic integration in America .. by the way)

And you definitely can’t talk about who fought to make that happen without talking about the lone Black physician was invited to the signing ceremony.

The signing of Medicare and Medicaid wasn’t just about expanding healthcare access.

It was about breaking barriers, defying the medical establishment, and forcing a system built on exclusion to finally open its doors.

And while nearly every major medical association tried to stop it, he stood firm.

So in the next dose, we’re talking about Dr. W. Montague Cobb—the man who refused to let hospitals remain segregated, and one of the most influential Black physicians in American history.

Get ready for your next dose.

Because history isn’t just something to remember—it’s something to learn from.

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