From the Archives 16: Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine & "Operation Coffeecup"

In 1961, Ronald Reagan, then the recently-resigned president of the Screen Actors Guild, recorded this LP on behalf of the American Medical Association. In the 1950s, the AMA launched "Operation Coffeecup," part of an effort to block the plans of the Democratic Party to extend Social Security to include health insurance for the elderly. The AMA encouraged the wives of its member doctors to organize coffee parties at which they could convince their friends to write letters to the Congress opposing government-provided health care.The AMA recorded a 10 minute speech by Reagan specifically opposing a bill supported by Representative Cecil R. King of California intended to provide senior citizens with medical care, and released it as the record "Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine," along with instructions about how to write a letter to Congress opposing the bill. Ultimately, the AMA's campaign was unsuccessful, and the Social Security Amendments of 1965 established what we now know as Medicare and Medicaid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.