Medicare

Health Insurance

SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE UNITED STATES

REASONS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE

TYPES OF PLANS IN THE UNITED STATES

Medicare

Medicare is a health insurance program in the United States that helps provide access to health services for citizens 65 years of age and older. It also provides health coverage for people under age 65 who have certain disabilities, such as kidney disease. Medicare is funded primarily by federal payroll taxes and by monthly premiums paid by participants.

As with other U.S. government health programs, Medicare provides a foundation of insurance, but it also leaves gaps in the services it covers. As a result, many Americans covered by Medicare choose to purchase private insurance—sometimes called “Medigap” insurance—to supplement Medicare’s coverage. While some employers offer supplemental coverage to their retired workers, many individuals purchase coverage designed to supplement Medicare when they first become eligible for the Medicare program.

Because insurance is regulated on a state-by-state basis, Medicare supplement policies can vary from one state to the next. However, in the 1980s the National Association of Insurance Commissioners persuaded many states to require that health insurance companies offer a core Medicare supplement policy called Plan A. Many insurance companies also offer nine additional plans (B through J) that feature increased benefits—and costs. For example, only the three most expensive plans (H, I, and J) cover the cost of prescription drugs.

DISABILITY INSURANCE
OBTAINING COVERAGE
FEATURES OF HEALTH INSURANCE POLICIES
LEVEL OF COVERAGE
SPECIFIC BENEFITS
HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES
HEALTH INSURANCE IN CANADA
HEALTH INSURANCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES

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