What is Medicare?

Medicare is a health insurance program for persons age 65 or older, or who have received Social Security disability benefits for 24 consecutive months or longer.

Medicare consists of Part A, which is hospitalization insurance, covering hospital care, home health care, skilled nursing care, and hospice care; and Part B, which covers the services of doctors, hospital out-patient care, durable medical equipment, routine mammograms for the early detection of breast cancers, and some other non-institutional medical services.