What is Medicare and what does it cover?

Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, or those under 65 who may qualify because of a disability or another special situation. Medicare helps millions of American seniors and disabled individuals cover some of their health care costs.
Medicare also offers important choices in how you receive benefits – whether through the federal government and Original Medicare (Parts A & B) or through a Medicare-approved private insurer that offers additional benefits like prescription drug coverage (Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) and Medicare Part D drug coverage plans).
The different parts of Medicare help cover the costs of specific services.