ABSTRACT
Passed into law in 1965, Medicare began accepting clients in 1966; in its early implementation those in high-level health care administration considered the program to be a success and it continues to be the flagship of health care policy in America. The creation of Medicaid resulted in an expansion of the national welfare policy to provide health care to low-income children. The nation's largest health care system is the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA), a component of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Affordable Care Act along with Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veterans Administration provide a safety net of sorts for individuals who otherwise would not receive any health care at all. Medical sociologists often discuss the social construction of illness from diagnosis to treatment; many use the term broadly, even though there are different varieties of social construction. The United States spends more on health care than any other developed country.
