If there鈥檚 such a thing as the first family of health care, the Lees may be it.
Five decades ago, two brothers helped start Medicare. Their father inspired them and they, in turn, have inspired the next generation.
To mark the anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing Medicare into law on July 30, 1965, three Lees sat down to reflect on the U.S. health care system.
It can be hard now to imagine a time when Medicare met serious opposition. But 92-year-old Dr. Peter Lee, a founder of the family medicine department at the University of Southern California, remembers that time well.
鈥淚 was one of the people who was supporting the idea,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd in response to that some people from the USC alumni association wanted me fired because they thought that was socialized medicine.鈥�
The Los Angeles County Medical Association, too, called for Lee鈥檚 ouster. While Lee didn鈥檛 get fired, he did get called a lot of names. The same thing happened to his now 91-year-old brother, , who helped implement Medicare in the Johnson administration.
鈥淭hey called me a socialist more often than a communist, but occasionally they referred to me as a communist,鈥� he recalls.
Among those who did that, he says, was former President Ronald Reagan, who lent his voice to an ad by one of Medicare鈥檚 biggest opponents, the American Medical Association.
鈥淥ne of the traditional methods of imposing state-ism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine,鈥� Reagan says in the ad.
The AMA opposed Medicare out of fear the government would become too deeply involved in the practice of medicine. But that didn鈥檛 sway the Lee brothers. Their work as ardent foot soldiers for Medicare, was borne in part from family legacy of health policy started by their father, Dr. Russell Lee, says his grandson Peter Lee.
鈥淥ne of the things my grandfather did was he was involved in the Truman Commission, which in the 40s was one of the early reports generated to say we need national health care,鈥� says the younger Peter Lee.
He went into the family business when he became a health policy expert. And he now runs Covered California, overseeing the largest expansion of insurance coverage in California since Medicare. His father, the elder Peter Lee, says the passage of Medicare changed the game. Before the law, the medical center where he worked was overflowing with elderly patients who had been discharged but needed some interim care before going home.
鈥淪o we always had patients in the hall,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hen Medicare was passed and then the halls were all empty.鈥�
His son, Peter, explains, 鈥淭hey were empty because seniors all of a sudden had someone that would pay for long-term care that wasn鈥檛 there before. And it was a dramatic overnight change that affected millions of Americans.鈥�
That鈥檚 because Medicare paid for, transitional nursing home care and other treatments for those 65 and older, no matter their income. Today Medicare provides health care for nearly every American 65 and older.
Dr. Philip Lee served as an assistant secretary of health under President Lyndon Johnson, where he helped implement Medicare. (Photo courtesy of Lee Family)
And the law prompted something else: the . Among those at the front line of that battle, the elder Peter Lee鈥檚 brother, Philip.
鈥淒esegregation was critical,鈥� says Philip Lee. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 have a segregated medical care system.鈥�
Philip Lee was sent to the South to make sure hospitals didn鈥檛 discriminate. He says it took the threatened loss of federal Medicare dollars to overcome resistance by many hospitals that ultimately integrated. And integration meant everyone and everything 鈥� from patients and staff all the way to the blood supply.
鈥淎nd we made a lot of progress, even if it wasn鈥檛 perfect,鈥� he says.
Today, both of the elder Lees say the biggest issues facing the nation鈥檚 health care system is making sure everyone gets medical care.
It鈥檚 a job that the younger Peter Lee says he鈥檚 taken on with inspiration from his family legacy and support from his father and uncle. And, he says, they set a high bar.
鈥淚t take persistence. It takes hard work. But change happens,鈥� he says.
This story is part of a reporting partnership with , and Kaiser Health News.