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

Although the facility was meant to care for the dying, its patient mortality rate was about 2.3% during the last five years, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The projected shortfall in Social Security and Medicare alone is about $88 trillion over the same period.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

My brother only has Medicare Parts A and B; he did not enroll in a Medicare supplement at age 65 and now has too many health issues to qualify for a traditional supplement plan.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Trump appointed him administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

For all those years, as I paid her medical bills, as I filled in her 1040s and helped her with her Medicare paperwork and her will.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King