Medicare, the federal program that provides health insurance for approximately 39 million elderly and disabled Americans, is widely regarded as one of the nation's most successful public programs. Yet its failure to provide a comprehensive insurance package has left gaps in coverage that beneficiaries—or others on their behalf—must fill. The poor are particularly hard-hit, since they lack the financial resources to supplement Medicare.s coverage.
Medicaid, the federal-state program that covers health and long-term care for certain categories of the poor, does provide additional benefits for low-income elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for traditional Medicaid coverage. However, because the states set their own Medicaid eligibility standards, some low-income Medicare beneficiaries—even those with incomes that fall within federal poverty guidelines—do not qualify for this additional coverage. Even for beneficiaries with incomes above the poverty level,Medicare's premium and cost-sharing responsibilities can be unduly burdensome.