On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare, a health insurance program for elderly Americans, into law. At the bill-signing ceremony, which took place at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, former President Harry Truman was enrolled as Medicare’s first beneficiary and received the first Medicare card.

Johnson wanted to recognize Truman, who, in 1945, had become the first president to propose national health insurance, an initiative that was opposed at the time by Congress.

Medicare is federal health insurance for people aged 65 years and older, as well as younger individuals with certain disabilities and conditions. It has four parts:

• Original Medicare is Part A, hospital insurance, and Part B, medical insurance. It does not include prescription drug coverage.
• Medicare Advantage, or Part C, is the alternative to original Medicare. The plans provide Part A and Part B benefits and often include prescription drug coverage and extra benefits, such as dental, vision, and hearing care.
• Part D is prescription drug coverage, which is available to a person enrolled in original Medicare (parts A and B). The plans include at least two medications in each of the commonly prescribed drug classes, but the specific medications may vary among plans

For more information – history.com