Medicare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA, popularly known as Obamacare) are two completely different concepts. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a comprehensive set of rules governing the United States health-insurance business.
Medicare is a federal healthcare program for those aged 65 and up and certain younger people with impairments or medical problems. Medicare comes in a variety of forms.
Key Takeaways
- Obamacare is a comprehensive health care reform law that aims to expand health insurance coverage and improve overall health care quality.
- Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older and certain younger individuals with disabilities.
- While both programs aim to improve healthcare access, Obamacare targets the general population, whereas Medicare focuses on specific age groups and individuals with disabilities.
Obamacare vs Medicare
Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a comprehensive healthcare reform law that was enacted in 2010. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that primarily serves Americans 65 or older and those with certain disabilities or end-stage renal disease.
There is no single policy that qualifies as “Obamacare.” Private insurance businesses compete for business under Obamacare by providing cheaper plans with varying levels of coverage.
Obamacare made it mandatory for everyone to have health insurance coverage or risk a tax penalty. Many people identify Obamacare with the medical insurance plan given on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) exchange, known as the Marketplace.
Medicare is a federal insurance program for persons over 65 and disabled people, while Obamacare is a set of regulations governing people’s access to health insurance.
Original Medicare refers to Parts A and B of the Medicare program. The federal government is responsible for providing them. Hospitalization and other inpatient care are covered under Part A. Part B covers some doctor’s visits, outpatient, and eligible hospital equipment (DME).
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Obamacare | Medicare |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Many insurance provider companies provide insurances at affordable prices. | Medicare is provided by the federal government for a specific group of the population. |
| Eligible | Obamacare is a compulsory policy for everyone. | Medicare is only for people above the age of 65 or disabled people. |
| Mandatory | Obamacare is a policy that is mandatory for every citizen. | Medicare is a policy that implies that health treatment for a specific group is covered by the government. |
| Type | Obamacare is an act in which insurance policies can be bought at reasonable prices. | Medicare is a subsidy program provided by the federal government. |
| Founder | Obamacare is founded by Obama. | Medicare is founded by the government. |
What is Obamacare?
The Affordable Care Act is referred to as Obamacare. Many of the opposition parties were not in favour of the taken decision, but Barack Obama, The President, adopted the plan in 2012, and Since then, it has stayed the same and has been accepted by both the current and opposition parties of the Affordable Care Act.
Throughout 2017, the Trump administration and the Republican lawmakers advocated for the repeal of most of the parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with the individual mandate penalty being the only section of the law to be eliminated.
Those individuals get penalty mandated, and it was changed in January 2019, resulting in tax deductions and Jobs Act, which was acted in December 2017.
Obamacare gives benefits as all policy reforms affect the personal health insurance industry (both in and out, and all new big medical ideas are ACA-compliant). Changes to employer-sponsored plans in the small & large group sectors.
Medicare expansion is the foundation of the Affordable Care Act.
The adult and company mandates (the ACA’s sticks to motivate people to take coverage; both are currently in effect, but there are no charges for noncompliance with the legal mandate unless you live in a state that only has one; there is still some federal penalty for noncompliance with the company mandate) are still in effect. Premium discounts and cost-sharing reductions
What is Medicare?
The requirements for Medicare eligibility are stringent and vary by state. Income of less than 138% of the poverty line: The Affordable Care Act’s initial goal was to provide free Medicare coverage to all lawful residents earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
However, thanks to a Supreme Court decision, states can choose whether or not to favour this section of the ACA properly.
The coverage void: in early 2021, only 14 states had not increased Medicare coverage to this category. (As earlier mentioned, this will fall to 12 states or fewer by mid-2021, when Missouri and Oklahoma implement Medicare expansion.)
The city has a population of about 2.3 million people. Thirteen of the thirteen states have a coverage gap: Because their income falls below the federal poverty line, they are ineligible for Obamacare sub-studies.
However, they are ineligible for Medicare. Wisconsin has avoided a coverage gap despite not extending Medicare. Medicaid coverage is free, while only a few states charge a minimal monthly cost for those earning more than the federal poverty line. 15 Dr Henry J. Kaiser started the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit organization.
Medicaid Adults’ Premium and Cost-Sharing Requirements for Selected Services 1st of January 2020 If we live in states where Medicaid is unavailable, you must follow the older, stricter eligibility requirements.
They differ by state, but they contain the following: According to the requirements for low-income people, you fall into at least one due to an inadequate.
Main Differences Between Obamacare and Medicare
- Many insurance provider companies provide insurance at affordable prices, whereas the federal government provides Medicare for a specific group of the population.
- Obamacare is a compulsory policy for everyone, whereas Medicare is only for people above the age of 65 or disabled people.
- Obamacare is a policy that is mandatory for every citizen, whereas Medicare is a policy that implies that the government covers health treatment for a specific group.
- Obamacare is an act in which insurance policies can be bought at reasonable prices, whereas Medicare is a subsidy program provided by the federal government.
- Obama founded Obamacare, whereas the government founded Medicare.
- https://epublications.marquette.edu/marq_fac-book/298/
- https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g5376.abstract
Last Updated : 14 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The fact that Obamacare and Medicare have different providers and eligibility criteria is enlightening.
Both Obamacare and Medicare are very important tools that can be used to achieve better healthcare for Americans.
It is clear from this article that the differences between Obamacare and Medicare are quite substantial.
The section about the requirements for Medicare eligibility is very enlightening, it shows how complex the system can be.
The comparison table at the end of the article is an excellent way to understand the differences between the two programs.
This article helps to clarify common misconceptions about Obamacare and Medicare, I found it to be very informative.