Does Medicare cover children?

Medicare is intended to cover medical care for people 65 and people who have worked but now have long-term disabilities. However, Medicare does not cover children, even if their parent is covered by Medicare.

Medicaid, however, is a different federal health insurance program which can cover children if their families have low income and few assets other than their home. If a family qualifies for Medicaid coverage, almost all of a child's health care needs can be paid for, with only very small copayments by the family. To find out more about eligibility for Medicaid for children, and to find out about specific programs that expand coverage to children beyond standard Medicaid coverage, go to the Medicaid page of the web site of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.