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Local Groups Help Residents Understand Medicare vs. Medicaid
If there’s one thing the Virginia Insurance Counseling Assistance Program (VICAP) wants you to know about Medicare, it’s that Medicare is not a welfare program. “I find some people don’t want to sign up and take advantage of their Medicare benefits because they think it’s a welfare program, or they think that they they’re taking away from the government,” said Rene White, a volunteer with VICAP. “Instead, [Medicare is] money that you’ve actually already paid…to take care of yourself when you get older.”
Medicare is often mistaken for Medicaid. Medicaid is a health services welfare program set up by the U.S. government for low-income citizens….Medicare is funded through social security, and is available for individuals who are 65 years or older, or those who have a qualifying medical disability. “If a person has low income, and they’re having trouble paying for their Medicare costs, there are options available to them,” White explained. “There’s extra help, there’s Medicare savings programs, and we can help walk them through it and help them apply for those programs.” Read more…