Medicaid vs. Medicare

I talk to a lot of patients in my current line of work and share with them assistance I can offer them to help apply for health benefits.  Almost every one I talk to seems not to have a clear idea what the difference is between Medicaid and Medicare, so I decided to publish this post to see if I could clear up some of that confusion.

 I have devised a chart that breaks down the differences and similarities between Medicare and Medicaid.  Below is this chart:
                                           

Medicare	Medicaid
Funded by Federal government	Funded by Federal government, but managed by the state
Applied through Social Security	Applied through Social (or Human) Services
Must be 65, disabled for at least two years or on dialysis to receive	Can be 18 or younger, 65 or older, pregnant, blind, disabled or have minor children in the home with virtually no income to receive (in most states)
Benefit is based on if you paid your Medicare taxes or not	Benefit based on income and assets according to % of poverty level (varies by state and program)
Has parts A (for inpatient & hospital stays), B (for ER/Out patient, doctor visits), D (prescription plan) and a few others for different coverages	Has different kinds of Medicaid for Medicare supplements, nursing home, families and children, disabled, adoption, pregnancy, in home care, and more (can vary by state)
Part A is free if you paid Medicare taxes, while other parts have a premium	Is free as long as you meet the requirements
Has a deductible for inpatient stay, prescriptions and maybe other services	Has little to no deductible for services

I trust this is helpful information and helps clears up some confusion about the two programs.

Helping you get the upper hand to change your life forever,

Peter Bunn
Rising Leader

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