What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
The short answer is that Medicaid is a poverty program and Medicare isn’t. Many disabled people who get Medicaid get it because they are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is called categorical Medicaid eligibility. To get SSI and thereby get Medicaid you have to be poor and disabled. Medicaid pays doctors at very low rates. People who have only Medicaid can have a hard time finding doctors willing to take them on as patients. Medicaid does pay for prescription medications. Medicaid can go back up to three months prior to the date of a Medicaid claim. Note that it is possible to apply for Medicaid directly – through a local Medicaid office – without having a companion claim for SSI. For Medicare it does not matter whether you are rich or poor. If you have been on Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits for 24 months you qualify for Medicare. The good thing about Medicare is that it pays doctors at a higher rate than
The short answer is that Medicaid is a poverty program and Medicare isn’t. Most disabled people who get Medicaid get it because they are on SSI. To get SSI and thereby get Medicaid, you have to be poor and disabled. Medicaid pays doctors at low rates. People who have only Medicaid sometimes have a hard time finding a doctor they like. Medicaid does pay for prescription medications. Medicaid can go back up to three months prior to the date of a Medicaid claim. For Medicare, it does not matter whether you are rich or poor. If you have been on Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits for 24 months, you qualify for Medicare. The good thing about Medicare is that it pays doctors at a higher rate than Medicaid. Almost all doctors are happy to take Medicare patients. The bad things about Medicare are that it does not begin until after a person has been on cash disability benefits for two years and there is only a limited prescription
Medicare: Medicare is an insurance program. People have paid into trust funds which cover medical bills. It primarily covers people over 65 regardless of their income. It also serves younger disabled people and dialysis patients. Patients pay part of costs through deductibles for hospital and other costs. Small monthly premiums are required for non-hospital coverage. Medicare is a federal program. It is run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the federal government, and is basically the same everywhere in the United States. Medicaid: Medicaid is an assistance program. It serves low-income people of various ages. Medical bills are paid from federal, state and local tax funds. Patients usually pay no part of the costs or very little for covered medical expenses, although a small co-payment is sometimes required. Medicaid is a federal-state program. It is run by state and local governments within federal guidelines, so it varies from state to state.
The short answer is that Medicaid is a poverty program and Medicare is not. Many disabled people who get Medicaid get it because they are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is called “categorical” Medicaid eligibility. To get SSI and thereby get Medicaid you have to be poor and disabled. Medicaid pays doctors at very low rates. People who have only Medicaid can have a hard time finding doctors willing to take them on as patients. Medicaid does pay for prescription medications. Medicaid can go back up to three months prior to the date of a Medicaid claim. Note that it is possible to apply for Medicaid directly – through a local Medicaid office – without having a companion claim for SSI. For Medicare it does not matter whether you are rich or poor. If you have been on Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits for 24 months you qualify for Medicare. The good thing about Medicare is that it pays doctors at a higher rate th
The short answer is that Medicaid is a poverty program and Medicare isn’t. Many disabled people who get Medicaid get it because they are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is called “categorical” Medicaid eligibility. To get SSI and thereby get Medicaid you have to be poor and disabled. Medicaid pays doctors at very low rates. People who have only Medicaid can have a hard time finding doctors willing to take them on as patients. Medicaid does pay for prescription medications. Medicaid can go back up to three months prior to the date of a Medicaid claim. Note that it is possible to apply for Medicaid directly – through a local Medicaid office without having a companion claim for SSI. For Medicare it does not matter whether you are rich or poor. If you have been on Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits for 24 months you qualify for Medicare. The good thing about Medicare is that it pays doctors at a higher rate than
Related Questions
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Change Request from May 2, 2008 seems to state that only UB-04 claim form billers must include NDC information. Is that correct?
- I received a letter from Social Security that Medicaid will pay my Medicare premium for Part B. When will Medicaid start paying?
- Can I buy Tri-Luma without Health Insurance, Medicare or Medicaid?
