On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law legislation that established the Medicare and Medicaid programs. For 50 years, these programs have been protecting the health and well-being of millions of American families, saving lives and improving the economic security of our nation.
As the 50 year anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid approaches, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking for stories about how these programs have changed the lives of Americans across the nation. One of the goals is to illustrate the faces of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Personal stories play an important role in bringing public policy to life. They show how healthcare programs change the lives of real families and impact individuals and communities across the country.
CMS is requesting your help in collecting the stories of individuals in your community who have benefited from the Medicare program. In the coming months, CMS will use these stories to help bring life to speeches and content on CMS websites. Individuals will be invited to share their stories at events or be interviewed for videos. In addition, CMS is building a gallery exhibit that tells the stories of 50 Medicare consumers – one from each state. The exhibit, existing of photos and stories, will be displayed at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.
Thanks in advance for your help. Visit the CMS Web site for additional information, including resources for the 50th anniversary and the submission form to share a story.
For additional information about the CMS story collection effort, contact Shannon Ingram at Shannon.Ingram@cms.hhs.gov.