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Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 years old today. It was on this date in 1965 that then President Lyndon Johnson signed into law Amendments to the Social Security Act, which established these two federal health programs.
We discuss the legacy of Medicare and Medicaid for Houstonians with Helen Valier, a medical historian at the University of Houston.
Then, we consider the future of the programs, and how they are thought of here in Texas, including the impact of Texas rejecting Medicaid subsidies offered through the Affordable Care Act, and the saga of the Medicaid 1115 waiver, and funding tied to it in Texas, which is due to expire next year. We’ll talk with Dr. Vivian Ho, Health Economist at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine, and Dr. Chuck Begley, professor of management, policy and community health at UTHealth School of Public Health.
Also this hour: What’s the deal with all these mattress stores in Houston? Seriously. Houston Matters’ Edel Howlin investigates.
And: For nearly 40 years, the Houston Shakespeare Festival has brought 400-year-old drama, often featuring iambic verse, to the Miller Outdoor Theatre stage. This year's nine-day run, starting Friday (7/31/15) features William Shakespeare’s MacBeth and The Merchant of Venice. Houston Matters Paige Phelps visits rehearsals on the UH campus to learn more about the productions.
In retrospect, we really should have warned her to call MacBeth “The Scottish Play” while at those rehearsals. Oops.
