Which policy expanded health care access under the Great Society?

• A. Medicare Act 1965
• B. Medicaid Act 1965
• C. Social Security Act 1961
• D. Area Redevelopment Act 1961

Answer: (A)

Under the Great Society, widening access to health care was a major goal. The Medicare program, created in 1965, established federal health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older (and later for some younger people with disabilities). By funding hospital and medical services through a national framework, it cut the cost barriers that kept many seniors from getting care and ensured steady access to needed health services. This move to guarantee coverage for a large, previously uninsured group is the clearest example of expanding health care access during that era. Medicaid also expanded access by helping low‑income individuals, but Medicare directly demonstrates the broad, enduring expansion of health coverage for a key population.