Although Medicare was strictly for seniors, people who are younger and have a permanent disability may also sign up for it. One example could be someone who has kidney failure or someone who requires a transplant.
To cover some of the things not covered by Medicare, they have a supplement insurance known as Medigap. It provides members with reimbursement for the out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by the original plan.
You can’t buy this from Social Security since this is sold by health insurance companies. There are 12 standardized policies called Plans “A” through “L” and each of these has a different set of benefits. If you decide to choose one, find out what is covered by each of the 12.
Now let’s talk about Medicaid. It is program designed to help the poor. Those who can qualify are adopted or foster children, low income children under the age of 6, low income pregnant women, supplemental security income recipients, specially protected groups, children under age 19 whose family income is below federal poverty level and some Medicare beneficiaries or other groups as determined by each state.
Since this is funded on a federal and state level, a social worker is assigned to oversee the account. When you qualify for Medicaid, your doctor and hospital expenses are covered which includes emergency room visits, certain medications and treatments as well as prenatal care.
Both Medicare and Medicaid are important programs. To date, more than 7 million Americans are enrolled in one or the other. That number is expected to rise as more people reach their senior years and those who don’t have a job or were laid off due to the recession have to apply for help from the government.
While the recipients for the two are different, can you just imagine what would happen if these did not exist or were scrapped? The elderly, the poor and those who are terminally ill will not have a chance to survive because they don’t have the money to see a doctor, buy medicine and seek treatment which they desperately need.