when was medicare started
But it wasnât until 1965 â after legislation was signed by President Lyndon B Johnson â that Americans started receiving Medicare health coverage. Today, Medicare continues to provide health care for those in need. By the end of 2014, there were 49,435,610 people receiving health coverage through a Medicare program. Benefits paid in 2013 amounted to $583, which was about 14 percent of the federal budget.