Medicare is the nationwide federal health care program available to Social Security beneficiaries and the disabled.

Medicare

A federal program that provides for (1) compulsory hospital insurance for senior citizens, (2) low-cost voluntary insurance to help older Americans pay physicians’ fees, and (3) subsidized insurance to buy prescription drugs. Financed by payroll taxes.

Social Security

The social insurance program in the United States financed by federal payroll taxes on employers and employees and designed to replace a portion of the earnings lost when workers become disabled, retire, or die.