On what constitutional basis was Medicare enacted And which amendment to the US Constitution supports Medicare?

Answer 1

There is no Constitutional basis for Medicare. Its proponents CLAIM that the Congress's power to "... providefor the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States;" [emphasis mine], as enumerated in Article I, Section 8, is the Constitutional authority for Medicare. However, Medicare is clearly targeted at a specific group of people, specifically the elderly, and is denied to anyone who is not a member of that group, and therefore, it has nothing to do with the general welfare.

The above answer is silly. Medicare has successfully survived all court challenges and just because this originator want s Medicare to be unconstitutional, doesn't make it so. The elastic clause of the constitution is quite broad.

I'm sorry, but, where is this "elastic clause"? I'm not aware of Medicare being challenged in court, but if it was, it survived only because the federal courts no longer follow the Constitution, any more than the rest of the federal government.

Answer 2

Medicare was enacted under the constitutional authority of Congress to levy taxes and spend revenue for the general welfare of the United States, as granted in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. The specific amendment to the US Constitution that supports Medicare is not directly tied to its enactment, but rather the power of Congress to make laws related to taxation and spending for the general welfare.