Chapter 10 - Medical Insurance and Social Security

It is important to stop here and let the reader know what the poor and the elderly had to look forward to when they no longer had the means to provide for themselves. There were no government programs that provided them with medical care or a subsistence level of financial support.

If someone became ill and needed medical attention, the family doctor was called and he made the customary house call. Once he had examined the patient, he prescribed medicine or arranged for the patient to go to the hospital. The bill for the visit would be paid by the patient or a family member whenever the money became available.

There were no “Meals on Wheels” or “Food for the Homeless” programs. If a widow or widower was fortunate enough to own a home but had no additional means of support, there were homes for the elderly that would take the home and in exchange provide a place to live and have medical care. These helpless people had no assurance of quality care. This was an irreversible trap and a racket!

In 1935 Roosevelt envisioned a program called Social Security that could serve as a safety net for people over the age of 65. The first Social Security checks were issued in 1940. He wanted to include health insurance in the program but could not get the support of the American Medical Association. The addition of health insurance would come later. In 1965 Congress created Medicare as part of the Social Security Act.

In 1937 we had two widows in our family. Nana was 67 years old now but had never worked outside the home. Her services were indispensable as caretaker and homemaker for her family all of her adult life. She was left with no income and did not own property but she did have three sons who were able and willing to provide support for her.

The other widow was Aunt Gertrude. Her husband, our Uncle G A, was killed in a car accident in 1933 . He arranged for insurance that provided his family but the rising cost of living over the years made it more difficult to manage on that income.