Medicare

American  

[med-i-kair] / ˈmɛd ɪˌkɛər /

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.

2. (lowercase) any of various government-funded programs to provide medical care to a population.

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Medicare British  

/ 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

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Medicare ¹ Cultural  

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

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Medicare ² Cultural  

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.)

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Etymology

Origin of Medicare

medi(cal) + care

Example Sentences

You can do this gradually to avoid sliding into high tax brackets and Medicare surcharges.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

The investigation also found that Mailyan used the Medicare payments to fund many of the vacations she took and purchase luxury collectibles such as a $12,000 17th century crossbow and a $3,000 painting, prosecutors said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Mailyan, 45, was convicted this week in federal court, accused of submitting more than $45 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for Botox injections and attempting to mislead investigators working on the case.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

The purchases during February and March were in position to gain from UnitedHealth’s 9% one-day stock pop that followed April 6 news from the Medicare agency.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

While this may have been scary news in terms of Medicare and Social Security, the average American had little to fear from the growing horde of oldsters.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt