Medicare and Medicaid Case Study

Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare is a federal governed program that pays for hospital and medical care for elderly and certain disabled Americans while Medicaid is a means tested health and medical services program for certain individuals and families with less resources. The populations that are served with the Medicaid are the American citizens and those people who may not necessarily be of American origin but have a legal and permanent residence in America. It also covers adults with extremely low income and their children, and people with certain disabilities.

Medicare is a predominantly federal government program and sponsored while on the other hand, Medicaid is a state governed program in collaboration with the federal government.

Medicare deals with people of age 65 and over, people of any age who may be having kidney failure and long-term kidney diseases, permanently disabled people who cannot work and it is applied for at the local social security office while Medicaid deals with pregnant women, children under 19 years, people of age 65 and over, blind, disabled and those people who need nursing home care (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, 2011).Medicare has two parts: hospital insurance for facility-based care and Medical insurance which deals largely with physician services.

Medicare has provided valuable health care coverage to the elderly over the past 40-year's. Many aspects of the program have changed to meet the societies demand.

Medicare has provided high quality care to many people who need it irrespective of who they are for example it caters for blind, poor, disabled and those who need nursing home care.

The other significant revolution that was brought about by the inception of the Medicaid program was the prohibition of payment for care of non-elderly adults in institutions for mental diseases such as state mental hospitals, private psychiatric and residential programs for mental and addictive disorders.

Medicare beneficiaries pay little out of their pocket because they are covered by supplemental policies that pay their co-payments. Medicaid pays for co-payments directly for individuals who are eligible for both programs.

Medicaid has….....