Medicare

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a national health insurance program. When you pay income taxes, some of your tax money pays for the Medicare program. The program helps pay for your health care if:

• you are 65 or older, or
• you are under age 65 and you have certain disabilities, or
• you are any age and you have End-Stage Renal Disease. That is, you have permanent kidney failure and you need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

See Can I get Medicare?

Medicare has different parts that help pay for your hospital costs, medical expenses and prescription drugs. When you sign up for Medicare, you choose a plan that has the kinds of parts that you want. See How do I choose my Medicare plans?

You do not have to have a low income to get Medicare. Medicare is different from Medicaid. MassHealth is the Medicaid program in Massachusetts. MassHealth is health care for people who cannot afford health insurance. It offers health care to people of all ages.