Former US President Harry Truman was the first person to enroll in Medicare. He was enrolled by President Lyndon Johnson during the ceremony in which Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965. Since then, enrollment has grown to over 47 million people.
More facts about Medicare and similar programs:
- The first person to receive any kind of payment from the US Social Security program, another US Federal-aid program, was Ernest Fuller, who received a one time lump payment of $0.17 US Dollars (USD). The first person to get ongoing benefits was Ida Fuller, who started collecting benefits in 1940.
- Around 90% of people enrolled in Medicare have at least one chronic condition, while half have three or more.
- Medicare is credited with indirectly helping end desegregation in the US, since it required all healthcare providers to treat its members regardless of race.