Medicaid

American  

[med-i-keyd] / ˈmɛd ɪˌkeɪd /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a U.S. government program, financed by federal, state, and local funds, of hospitalization and medical insurance for persons of all ages within certain income limits.

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Medicaid British  

/ ˈmɛdɪˌkeɪd /

noun

1. a health assistance programme financed by federal, state, and local taxes to help pay hospital and medical costs for persons of low income

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Medicaid Cultural  

1. A state and federally funded program that reimburses healthcare providers for care given to qualifying people who cannot pay for their medical expenses.

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Etymology

Origin of Medicaid

medic(al) + aid

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Medicaid

The most commonly cited scapegoats are the social insurance programs Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The $10 million originated in a $67 million Medicaid settlement between Florida and Centene, one of the state’s largest Medicaid contractors.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Across those five cancers, Medicaid beneficiaries were between 11% and 42% more likely than privately insured patients to wait more than a month for treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Hospitals that treat a larger share of Medicaid patients also had significantly longer waits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Because they were born in New York, Peralta’s children are United States citizens, and their health care is generally covered by Medicaid.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• Medicare