Lesson Plan: Making Medicare: The Creation of a Social Program

Student Introduction

Many people influenced the creation of the Medical Care Act of 1966. In this exercise, you will have the chance to choose and learn about an individual or group who influenced the creation of this act. In the classroom discussion that follows, you will present your findings and discuss how the views of each individual or interest group were reflected in the final act.

Student Steps

1. Individually or with your partner, look at the Making Medicare History.
From the category assigned to you (citizens, politicians, medical professionals, business people), select a person or group who influenced the creation of the Medical Care Act of 1966. Start with the 1958–1968 time period, and use the Key Players section as a reference source.

2. Research this person or group in the Making Medicare History.
Follow your person or group back in time as far as you can (some will appear as early as 1914—1929), and use the Worksheet to make notes on what position he, she or the group took over time.

3. Research this person or group on other sites and from other sources.
Use the Resource Room to find other reputable Web sites. For example, go to the Health Canada site to find submissions made to the various federal commissions (e.g., the Romanow Commission), or to the Hansard site to read official transcripts of medicare debates that took place in the House of Commons.

4. Look at the final Medical Care Act.
How were the concerns of your individual or group addressed?

5. Gather your notes and get ready to present and discuss your findings.

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WORKSHEET

Use this Worksheet with the Creation of a Social Program Lesson Plan.

My person or group:

Position taken on the Medical Care Act:

1958–1968:

1948–1958:

1939–1948:

1930–1939:

1914–1929:

Ways in which these concerns were addressed in the final Medical Care Act: