The 1965 Advisory Council was an important voice in the legislative
process that led to the creation of the Medicare program later that
year. Although many other players were pushing for a Medicare program,
the Council's support of the idea was one strong plank in the pro-Medicare
platform. (See Peter Corning's history
of Medicare for a detailed discussion of developments leading up
to the passage of the Medicare program.)
The Council made several other significant recommendations. Among
the legislative changes recommended and discussed in this Report
are:
- Medicare benefits for the elderly;
- The creation of Student Benefits;
- Important changes in the requirements for younger workers to
receive disability benefits;
- The coverage of tips as taxable income for Social Security purposes;
- Extension of coverage to State and local government workers
and self-employed doctors;
- Adopting the practice of making Trust Fund estimates for a 75-year
period.
All of these recommendations would eventually become law or practice--most
of them in the 1965 legislation.
A few of the Council recommendations were not adopted. A recommendation
to raise the $255 lump-sum death benefit was rejected, as well as
some of the Council's particular recommendations regarding financing.
Even so, the 1965 Advisory Council was an important Council and
its Report is an important milestone document in the development
of the Social Security program. |