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

See Examples For:

Medicare

He added that with the university’s expansion of clinics, “we are providing substantial specialty care to Medi-Cal and Medicare patients” throughout L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

The request to the insurer may be called a “formulary exception,” or “coverage determination” for Medicare Part D plans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

It did find that privately insured patients experienced the shortest delays, but those for Medicare patients were only minimally different from the privately insured.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

However, Medicare Advantage imposes restrictions such as requiring prior authorization for specialists or procedures and has limited provider networks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 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