South Bend, Ind. – Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly marked the 45th anniversary of the implementation of Medicare.  President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law on July 30, 1965 and enrollees first entered the program on July 1, 1966.

“Today, we celebrate the success of Medicare in providing health care coverage to seniors and people with disabilities for the past 45 years,” said Donnelly.  “I will continue to support efforts in Congress to protect and strengthen Medicare– a promise we have made to our seniors.”

On April 15, 2011, Congressman Donnelly voted against the Republican budget proposal offered by Congressman Paul Ryan that would turn Medicare into a voucher program, significantly increasing health care costs for seniors.

Today, Medicare provides comprehensive health care coverage to 47 million Americans, including 39 million seniors and 8 million people under 65 with disabilities.

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