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

There were many factors they needed to consider, including Medicare, which is not available there, and filing taxes as a U.S. citizen.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Medicare Advantage is a program under which the federal government pays private health insurers to operate a parallel program to Medicare.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

The inspections were conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2018 to 2021.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last month detailed a pilot program aiming, in part, to increase access to certain GLP-1 medications.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Some were covered through Medicare, others on and off by spouses, but they all went stretches with no coverage or money for treatment.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot