Medicare

Medicare is the government program that provides health insurance coverage for older adults in the United States, in contrast to most other nations that fold coverage for this population into broader public health insurance schemes that enroll all citizens regardless of age. The Medicare program was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 30, 1965, as Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, and since then, it has grown considerably in size and scope. Originally, individuals were eligible for Medicare only if they were aged 65 years or older and they or their spouse made 10 years of payment into the social security system (i.e., the federal program providing retirement income, disability, health, and other benefits). In 2015, a total of 55 million ...