Medicaid is a national health insurance program for:
Medicare is administered by the federal government. Unlike Medicaid, Medicare is the same in every state.
Medicare helps with the cost of health care, but it doesn't cover all medical expenses or most long-term care. You have choices for how you get Medicare coverage.
Social Security processes your application for Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) and can also help you get a replacement Medicare card if needed.
Medicare has different parts that cover different medical care services.
Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Part A helps cover inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, hospice care, and home health care. Part A is free for most people and is provided by the federal government.
Part B (Medical Insurance)
Part B helps cover appointments with doctors and other health care providers, many preventive services (such as vaccines, screenings, and annual wellness check-ups), outpatient care, home health care, and medical equipment. Part B is optional and has a monthly premium.
Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage)
Part D helps cover the cost of prescription drugs (including many shots and vaccines). Part D plans are optional and cost money. These plans are run by private insurance companies that follow rules established by Medicare.
There are two primary options for Medicare Coverage. You can select your choice of coverage when you first enroll in Medicare or at certain times of the year.
Original Medicare: Original Medicare includes both Part A and Part B. If you want drug coverage, you can choose to purchase a separate Part D plan. With Original Medicare, you can use any medical providers in the United States that accept Medicare. Original Medicare may come with out-of-pocket costs. People commonly pay 20% of medical claims. To help cover these costs, you can purchase supplemental coverage.
Medicare Advantage (formerly Part C): Medicare Advantage is an "all in one" alternative to Original Medicare. Medicare Advantage is a "bundled" plan that includes Parts A and B, and generally Part D. Medicare Advantage generally has lower out-of-pocket costs than Original Medicare. In most cases, you'll need to use doctors who are in the plan's network. Most Medicare Advantage plans offer benefits that Original Medicare doesn't cover, including vision, hearing, and dental.
Here's a website for comparing Medicare plans.
People who are 65 (or are turning 65 in the next 3 months) and are not yet getting benefits from Social Security will need to sign up to get Medicare Part A (Hospital insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance).
People who already receive benefits from Social Security will get Medicare Part A and Part B automatically when they are first eligible. They do not need to sign-up for Medicare.
For information on enrolling in Medicare, please see Applying for Medicare.
Medicare Supplemental Insurance (sometimes called Medigap) can be purchased to cover some of the costs that Original Medicare does not cover. These costs include copayments and deductibles. Medicare Supplemental Insurance can only be used with Original Medicare, not Medicare Advantage. These supplemental policies are sold by private companies. Some policies offer coverage for medical care outside of the United States. Generally, Medicare Supplemental Insurance doesn't cover long-term care, vision, dental, hearing aids, eye glasses, or private nurse care.