{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140801033640/http://hankjohnson.house.gov/press-release/reps-johnson-butterfield-highlight-49th-anniversary-medicare-medicaid", "Reps. Johnson, Butterfield highlight 49th Anniversary of Medicare & Medicaid", "2014-07-30", "2014", "2014-07", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Hank Johnson", "J000288", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Co-chairs of State Medicaid Expansion Caucus also urge all states to expand Medicaid to cover their citizens WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) marked the 49th anniversary of the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid.\u00a0 President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965.\nTo watch Rep. Johnson's floor speech, click HERE. \u201cForty-nine years ago, Democrats created Medicare and Medicaid; over nearly half a century, we have sustained them; now and into the future, we will protect them,\u201d stated Rep. Butterfield. This spring, Republicans once again passed a House GOP budget that ends Medicare as we know it and turns this sacred initiative into a privatized voucher plan, increasing future health costs for seniors. \u201cOn the 49th anniversary of the enactment of Medicare, I will stand with our seniors and recommit to rejecting plans that will end Medicare as we know it and increase costs,\u201d said Rep. Butterfield. \u201cDemocrats have also been working to strengthen Medicare,\u201d Rep. Johnson said.\u00a0 \u201cThe Affordable Care Act contains several provisions to improve Medicare.\u00a0 The ACA provides free Medicare coverage for key preventive services and it also has created significant savings for many seniors by providing discounts on their drugs for those in the Medicare Part D \u2018donut hole\u2019 coverage gap.\u201d Since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, people with Medicare in Georgia have saved $327 million on prescription drugs. So far in 2014 alone, more than 47,000 individuals in Georgia saved $39 million, or an average of $835 per enrollee. In North Carolina, people with Medicare have saved $359 million on prescription drugs. So far in 2014 alone, 56,000 individuals in North Carolina saved $41 million, or an average of $741 per enrollee. Furthermore, there is lots of other good news about how the ACA has benefited Medicare enrollees: \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the life of the Medicare Trust Fund has been extended by 13 years.\u00a0 The provisions of the ACA have played a critical role in helping to extend the Trust Fund.  \n\t\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0The growth rate in Medicare spending per person has fallen dramatically \u2013 falling from an annual average growth rate per person of 6.3 percent in 2000-2008 to 2.0 percent in 2009-2012.  \n\t\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Lower Medicare spending means lower cost sharing and lower premiums for Medicare enrollees.\u00a0 For example, after having grown rapidly under President George W. Bush, the Medicare Part B premium did not increase at all in 2014 \u2013 remaining at the 2013 level \u2013 and it is projected it will remain again at the 2013 level in 2015. \u201cDemocrats are also proud of the health security being provided to millions of Americans by the Medicaid program,\u201d Rep. Butterfield added. \u00a0 More than 60 million Americans are currently enrolled in Medicaid.\u00a0 In addition, for those states that have chosen to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, the ACA has made a tremendous difference already. According to a study by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund, in states that expanded Medicaid, the uninsured rate for poor adults has\u00a0 dropped from 28 percent to 17 percent, whereas in states that have refused to expand Medicaid, the uninsured rate for low-income adults has only dropped from 38 percent to 36 percent. \u201cAs we celebrate the anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, I am determined to continue to strengthen them,\u201d Rep. Johnson said.\u00a0 \u201cOver the last 49 years, Democrats have fought vigorously to enact Medicare and Medicaid and protect them and we will not stop.\u201d ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140801033640/http://hankjohnson.house.gov/press-release/reps-johnson-butterfield-highlight-49th-anniversary-medicare-medicaid"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.635884866118431, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}