Medicare

[ med-i-kair ]

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase) a U.S. government program of hospitalization insurance and voluntary medical insurance for persons aged 65 and over and for certain disabled persons under 65. Compare Medicaid.
2. (lowercase) any of various government-funded programs to provide medical care to a population.

Medicare

/ ˈmɛdɪˌkɛə /

noun

1. (in the US) a federally sponsored health insurance programme for persons of 65 or older
2. often not capital (in Canada) a similar programme covering all citizens
3. (in Australia) a government-controlled general health-insurance scheme

Medicare

¹

1. A federal health insurance program, administered by the Social Security Administration , that provides health care for the aged.

Medicare

²

1. A federal program providing medical care for the elderly. Established by a health insurance bill in 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society , the Medicare program made a significant step for social welfare legislation and helped establish the growing population of the elderly as a pressure group . ( See entitlements .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Medicare¹

medi(cal) + care

Word History and Origins

Origin of Medicare¹

C20: medi ( cal ) + care

Example Sentences

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversee the country’s largest healthcare programs, providing coverage to more than 150 million Americans.

From BBC

Trump’s victory endangers vaccines, Medicare and Medicaid recipients, and abortion rights.

From Los Angeles Times

During the campaign, Trump said he would seek to terminate any healthcare provider that “participates in the chemical or physical mutilation of minor youth” from Medicaid and Medicare.

From Los Angeles Times

He has promised to leave Social Security and Medicare - two of the biggest areas of government spending - untouched, which could make cost-cutting difficult.

From BBC

The biomedical agencies in Kennedy’s sights are just a small sliver of the huge HHS budget, more than 90% of which goes to mandatory programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act programs.

From Science Magazine