Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Medicare
Medicare is the U.S. government's health insurance program for people age 65 or older. Some people under age 65 can qualify for Medicare, too. They include those with disabilities, permanent kidney failure, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Medicare helps with the cost of health care. It does not cover all medical expenses or the cost of most long-term care. The program has four parts:
- Part A is hospital insurance
- Part B helps pay for medical services that Part A doesn't cover
- Part C is called Medicare Advantage. If you have Parts A and B, you can choose this option to receive all of your health care through a provider organization, like an HMO.
- Part D is prescription drug coverage. It helps pay for some medicines.
It sits within Older Adults and Health System.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Medicare
87 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Study on Infections in Adults With Ulcerative Colitis/Crohn's DiseaseTakeda
- Frequency and Complications of Major Orthopedic Procedures in Medicare BeneficiariesNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Georgia Memory Net Anti-Amyloid Monoclonal Antibody RegistryEmory University
- AWV Practice Redesign Toolkit (Tailored Intervention)University of California, Los Angeles
- MILD® Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar Decompression: A Medicare Claims StudyStryker Instruments
- Galleri® in the Medicare Population.GRAIL, Inc.
Research already completed
- Preemptive Pharmacogenomics Testing Among Geriatric PatientsGeisinger Clinic
- Messaging Intervention to Increase Medicare Annual Wellness Visits -- The NUDGE AWV Clinical TrialLaura Feemster
- Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medicare Annual Wellness Visit UptakeNorthwestern University
- Annual Wellness Visits vs GRACE-augmented Annual Wellness Visits For Older Adults With High Needs - Phase 1Massachusetts General Hospital
- A Study to Learn About Novel Hormonal Therapies in People With Metastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer (mCSPC)Pfizer
- Metabolism Informed Smoking Treatment: The MIST RCTVanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- MedicareSocial Security Administration
- Parts of MedicareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- What Original Medicare coversCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Preventive Visit and Yearly Wellness ExamsCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Related Issues
- Claims, Appeals, and Complaints (Medicare)Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Drug Plan RulesCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Durable Medical Equipment (DME) CoverageCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- How Medicare Works with Other InsuranceCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- How Much Does Medicare Drug Coverage Cost?Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Inpatient hospital careCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- What's Medicare Drug Coverage (Part D)?Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Your Medicare Coverage: Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) TherapyCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Medicare Part D, Medicare. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Medicare, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.