Special Broadcasts: November 2009

Backstory: The History of Health Care in America

Friday, November 13, 2009 at 9:00 PM

"What Germany has done in the way of old-age pensions or insurance should be studied by us, and the system adapted to our uses.” Thus declared Teddy Roosevelt in 1912, making him the first U.S. presidential candidate to advocate for a nationalized health insurance system. But arguments about the government’s responsibility for keeping Americans healthy go back a lot further than that. On this episode of BackStory, the History Guys looked at the way these arguments have played out through almost four centuries of American life.

Additional Information

Backstory: The History of Health Care in America web site