Is it Medicare or Medicaid?
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: July 16, 2021
A lot of people have a difficult time understanding the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Both programs begin with the letter “M.” They’re both health insurance programs run by the government. People often ask questions about what Medicare and Medicaid are, what services they cover, and who administers the programs.
Let’s start with Medicare. Medicare is the earned-benefit program for Americans aged 65 or older or disabled. Workers pay into Medicare throughout their working years. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the agency in charge of both Medicare and Medicaid, but you sign up for Medicare A (Hospital) and Medicare B (Medical) through Social Security.
You can apply for Medicare online from the convenience of your home on our Medicare Benefits page. If you’re already receiving Social Security retirement benefits when you reach age 65 or are in the 25th month of receiving disability checks, we will enroll you automatically.
Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (Prescription Drug) plans are available for purchase in the insurance marketplace. Social Security administers a program called Extra Help to help people with low income and low resources pay for premiums, co-pays, and co-insurance costs for Part D plans. You can find out more about Extra Help and file for it on our Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs page. Each year, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes Medicare and You available online at their website. This publication is a user’s manual for Medicare.
Each state runs its own Medicaid program under guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicaid offers care for the most vulnerable among us. While it does not require paying taxes while working, it does have guidelines about how much income and resources you can have to qualify. Medicaid provides coverage for older people, people with disabilities, and some families with children. Each state has its own eligibility rules and decides which services to cover. The names of the Medicaid program may vary from state to state. You can read about each state’s Medicaid program on their State Overviews page. You can find each state’s Medicaid contact information on the Contact Your State With Questions page.
Medicare and Medicaid are two of the major insurance programs that provide healthcare to the American public. Understanding each program, as well as how the two programs differ, can help you and those you care about find the right healthcare program.
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Tags: Disability, Medicaid, Medicare
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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ANN B.
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ANN B.
department of justice federal bureau of investigation //reply//// Medicaid soc: *** – ** – *** name on card. James Olen Johnston repeat mr. Johnson is not on Medicaid./////NATIONAL SECURITY IDENTITY // Caffrey , Raymond ,justice department 1300 summit Kansas city mo. 64105-1342
ANN B.
Wichita police
Judith S.
Can one receive both Medicare and Medicaid at the same time?
Ray F.
Hello Judith. Yes, some individuals may be eligible to receive medical benefits from both programs.
Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older. Certain people younger than age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too, including those with disabilities and those who have permanent kidney failure. Medicare is a federal administered program. Normally, you need to have earned enough “credits” or “quarters” -by paying Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes while working-, to qualify for Medicare.
Medicaid in the other hand, is a jointly funded, Federal-State health insurance program for low-income and needy people. It covers children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled and other people who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments (for example SSI benefits).
Carol J.
Hi my name is Carol Jones, I am typing, this to you, cause I need to either make an appointment to get my nephew Roland Curtis Jones, born April 19,1992, I want to take him to a dentist but they won’t take him cause he doesn’t have Medicaid but he does have Medicare, I did get a call from a women named Stella, she told me when I get him on Medicaid she will help me to get him a card. He does have state and he does get food stamps, he has United Health Care Community Plan, It’s Washington Apple Health. The dentist that I want to take him to is Dental Dentist, it’s here in Lakewood Washington.
So I am hoping that you can help me with this situation.
Ray F.
Hi Carol, you may want to check and see if your nephew is eligible to receive social services from the state in which you live. These services include Medicaid, which may help pay for medication and services that Medicare does not cover.
You can get information about services in your area from your local Medicaid or social services office. Or you can visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web page for more information.
We hope this information helps.
Randy G.
thank you for being thier for me
Robert
I am disabled, my wife lost her job she was carrying the insurance. Can I pick up medicaid and would she be covered as well?
Alice
Do you absolutely have to sign up for Medicare?
Ray F.
Hi Alice, if you are not ready to start your monthly Social Security benefits yet, you can use our online retirement application to sign up just for Medicare -ONLY- and wait to apply for your retirement or spouses benefits later. Most people (age 65 or older) are eligible for free Medicare hospital insurance (Part A) if they have worked and paid Medicare taxes long enough. You should sign up for Medicare hospital insurance (Part A) 3 months before your 65th birthday, whether or not you want to begin receiving retirement benefits. See our Medicare Benefits web page for more information. Thanks!
Roxie
I just turned 65 this month. I did apply for Medicare A and have received my card. I am still working so I did not want Medicare B at this point. Is there any cost for having Medicare A?
Squafdonoboles
Medicare/Medicaid: One you pay for to use yourself, the other you pay for others to use.
mira d.
I am an Indian national, I have us social security card. Can i be eligible for medicaid/medicare
Ray F.
Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States, are eligible for Medicare. A lawfully admitted noncitizen, must have lived in the United States for at least five years to qualify for Medicare. Certain people younger than age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too, including those with disabilities and those who have permanent kidney failure. To learn more, read our Medicare publication.
For information on the Medicaid program, please visit Medicaid.gov. Thanks!