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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Medicare

Rates of Medicaid and Medicare fraud exploded in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many rules were loosened and oversight strained by efforts to expand care.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Last year, both Medicare and America’s private health insurers spent about the same amount on healthcare for their beneficiaries.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Investors are continuing to watch how the insurer navigates costs in its Medicare Advantage and Medicaid portfolios.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Think carefully about your Social Security, Medicare, credit cards and bank accounts before picking your new home overseas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 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

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