Medicare - Medicaid Medicare is the nation's largest health insurance plan, providing coverage to 40 million Americans, including people 65 and older, certain people with disabilities who are under the age of 65 and individuals with permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant. The federal website Medicare.gov - The Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare is the place to go for information. This site has a number of useful search tools for consumers, including tools to locate and/or obtain information about physicians, suppliers, nursing homes and dialysis facilities in your region that participate in the Medicare program. These tools include Participating Physicians, Suppliers, Nursing Home Compare and Dialysis Facility Compare. This site also has two useful search tools - Medicare Personal Plan Finder and Medigap Compare - designed to help individuals locate and compare Medicare plan options and private insurers that provided Medicare Supplement Insurance. In conjunction with State governments, the CMS also oversees the jointly funded Medicaid program, which provides health benefits to about 36 million low-income Americans. Medicaid Consumer Page is a good starting off point to learn about the Medicaid program. Within certain guidelines set by the federal government, individual States are responsible for setting eligibility and various administrative standards for the Medicaid programs within their borders. For Medicaid information related to a specific state, please refer to State Medicaid Resources.
| 
