Medicare and Medicaid are not the same thing.
Medicare is health insurance for older Americans and younger disabled people. It is run and funded by the federal government.
Medicaid, on the other hand, is health insurance typically provided to children, pregnant women and very low income people. Medicaid is administered by states, according to federal rules, and is funded by state and federal sources.
Some people with Medicare also qualify for Medicaid. The two insurance programs work together in what's called a coordination of benefits.
Each state has different Medicaid eligibility criteria.
In Missouri, for example, elderly and disabled people making no more than $855 each month ($1,151 for a couple), are eligible. But in Georgia, many elderly applicants must not earn more than $375 each month.
Massachusetts, New York and California have among the most generous Medicaid benefits; Alabama, Wyoming and South Dakota have among the least.
Unlike Medicare, most state Medicaid programs will pay for some or all of an enrollee's non-skilled nursing home care. They also help with paying Part B medical insurance premiums and other forms of Medicare cost sharing.