The Nixon-Kennedy Health Care Plan
How Richard Nixon and Edward Kennedy Worked For American Health Care
Aug 27, 2009
President Nixon inherited the long history of the debate over health care when he took the oath of office in 1969. During the early 1960’s, America had been locked in a controversy about the role that the Federal Government was to play in the health care of the American Citizen.
The Politics of Health Care in the 1960’s
The Social Security Act of 1965, which created Medicare and Medicaid, was part of Presidents Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” vision for the country.. This plan provided health care for the elderly and individuals with special medical needs. Before Johnson's administration took office, The American Medical Association had opposed earlier moves to federalize health care, but now they and other opponents of the proposed bill worked to draft a compromise.
Even with this broad base of support, there was still a great deal of concern among more conservative elements of society, who saw this move towards increased government involvement in health care for the citizenry as a dangerous step down the road to a socialist dictatorship. Future President Ronald Reagan created a televised advertisement expressing these fears, and warned that universal health care would result in nothing less than the loss of all social freedoms for the entire country. More pragmatic concerns over the high cost of the medical assistance that would be offered under such a plan were also voiced by detractors of the plan. Eventually, the Johnson Administration was able to coordinate a bi-partisan deal with the help of Republican Congressman John Byrnes of Wisconsin, and The Social Security Act of 1965 was passed into law.
Nixon’s Plan for Universal Health Care
By the time of President Richard Nixon’s election to office, the debate over health care had once again resurfaced. In the same vein as Teddy Roosevelt’s proposed “Square Deal”, which had first broached national health insurance as a political topic in 1912, Nixon proposed a plan that would provide health insurance for all Americans. Similar to the situation faced by President Johnson, partisan opposition to Nixon's policies was firmly entrenched. In this instance, few were prepared to label the renowned anti-communist president as an advocate for socialism. Instead his opponents, such as Senator Edward “Teddy” Kennedy of Massachusetts, attacked Nixon on the grounds that he was offering a deal that would see the insurance companies benefit.
Nixon, for his part, was stalwart in his belief that a national health insurance plan was vital to the country’s future. He stated in his 1974 State of the Union Address that “The time is at hand this year to bring comprehensive, high quality health care within the reach of every American.” Nixon’s own past experience with poverty and family illness made this a personal issue for the President. Yet Nixon’s call for an employer mandate to provide health insurance as part of his planned universal health care coverage for all citizens was seen as inadequate by many democrats in congress. The plan was also opposed by powerful unions such as the AFL-CIO and the United Autoworkers, who lobbied hard to defeat the legislation.
Kennedy and Nixon Reach a Compromise
In a moment of bi-partisan cooperation, Nixon’s staunch foe, Ted Kennedy, agreed to a compromise deal and prepared to work to get the health care legislation passed through congress. However, the brewing Watergate scandal soon took over the headlines and distracted the President from pushing through with this initiative. With the President unable to continue to rally support, the efforts of the Unions, who hoped for a better deal under a new presidential administration, succeeded in derailing the Nixon-Kennedy health care bill.
By the time Gerald Ford succeeded Nixon to the Presidency, the country was beginning to experience an economic crisis as energy costs soared and a recession loomed on the horizon. Although President Ford attempted to reintroduce health care legislation, he soon gave up these efforts, believing that people would not support such a substantive investment at a time of growing fiscal concern. The next President, Jimmy Carter, was also unable to make inroads on universal health care. Although he has since stated his belief in the concept it, Carter seriously raised health care as an issue during the tense economic climate of the late 1970’s.
The Continuing Health Care Debate
By the time President Bill Clinton took office in 1993, his plan for health care reform had changed substantially from the plan once offered by the Nixon-Kennedy compromise. The Clinton proposal was to place the requirements for mandatory health insurance on the individual citizen, rather than on business owners, as had been previously suggested. This plan was also attacked and ultimately defeated by a media campaign that labeled the reform proposal as government intrusion. This opposition to the Clinton plan was typified by the “Harry and Louise” national advertising campaign viewed on all of the major television networks as the debate raged in Washington.
Now, at the dawn of the 21st Century, President Barack Obama has stated the urgent need for reform in the nation’s health care system. Like President Johnson was over forty years ago, President Obama is currently faced with criticism accusing him of setting the stage for a socialist dictatorship under the guise of health care reform. President Obama also faces similar challenges to those faced by President Ford, who was unable to justify increased expenditure for health care reform at a time of economic strife. However, President Obama has steered clear of a proposal for a mandate calling for all employers to provide health insurance, as was ventured by Nixon and Kennedy in 1974.
Sources:
Carter, Jimmy. A Government as Good As its People, (University of Arkansas Press, May 1, 1996)
Farrell, Chris “It's Time to Cure Health Care” (businessweek.com, January 23, 2006)
Hall, Peter “Democrats' health plans echo Nixon's failed GOP proposal” (McClatchy Newspapers, November 28, 2007)
Kiely, Kathy “Cause of my life': Health care overhaul eluded Kennedy” (USA TODAY, August 26th 2009)
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