Reading Room Document

Applicability of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Administration's Medicare Bill

The document discusses the applicability of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Medicare plan proposed in H.R. 1. The conclusion reached is that Medicare does not involve a "program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance" within the meaning of Title VI. The document also addresses the question of whether the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment imposes a duty of nondiscrimination on providers of services under the Medicare program. The analysis concludes that the Fifth Amendment will not apply to providers of services solely by virtue of their status under the Medicare plan. The document presents a detailed examination of the Medicare plan and its relationship to federal financial assistance, as well as the potential implications for providers of services under the plan.

April 6, 1965