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

Unlike traditional Medicare, Advantage plans also have out-of-pocket spending caps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Advantage plans combined spent 93% less on substitutes than traditional Medicare, which the IG attributed to insurers using “reimbursement and utilization management tools” to limit abuse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

They can also reduce Medicare premium surcharges by keeping you in a lower tax bracket.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

“Private plans have never been paid less than FFS Medicare,” says MedPAC, referring to fee-for-service or traditional, government-run Medicare.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 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