U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 1

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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FRIDAY, JULY 1: MEDICARE

Profile America — Friday, July 1st.  The question of providing health care for elderly Americans and how to pay for it already has been raised often during this year's early skirmishing for the 2012 political campaign.  The backbone of our health care system is Medicare — guaranteed medical insurance for those 65 and older.  The program went into effect 43 years ago today.  The first Medicare cards were issued to former President Harry Truman and his wife, Bess.  Now, nearly 46 million people are enrolled — more than 7.5 million of them disabled.  Each year, the costs of hospital stays and skilled nursing care for Medicare patients comes to $500 billion.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2011, p. 347

www.ssa.gov/history

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011, t. 142, 140

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau