Government-sponsored health coverage is a maze of programs, deadlines, and acronyms. MediPrimer organizes it into clear, honest reference material. We don't sell insurance, we're not affiliated with any agency or plan, and no page here steers you toward a particular product — we just explain how it works so you can act with confidence.
Where would you like to start?
The Basics
New to all this? Learn how Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, the Marketplace, and CHIP fit together — and the vocabulary that runs through them.
For Members & CaregiversGet help with your coverage
Enrollment deadlines, costs explained, choosing coverage, appealing a denial, and free assistance — plus how to help a family member with theirs.
For ProfessionalsWork in managed care
Reference for health-plan operations, provider and billing teams, brokers and advisors, and case managers and navigators.
Most-used pages
Enrollment & Deadlines
The windows that trip everyone up — and the penalties for missing them.
Policy & Rule Changes
Major legislative and regulatory changes explained plainly — and what each one means for you.
Getting Help Paying
Free counseling and programs that lower premiums, drug, and coverage costs.
How the programs relate
It helps to keep three questions straight for any coverage program: who funds it, who administers it, and who delivers the benefits.
- Medicare is federal, funded and run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Benefits come either directly from the government (Original Medicare) or from private plans under contract (Medicare Advantage).
- Medicaid is a federal–state partnership: jointly funded, administered by each state within federal rules. Most states deliver benefits through private managed care organizations (MCOs).
- The Health Insurance Marketplace offers subsidized private coverage to people without affordable coverage elsewhere.
The same insurers often participate in all three markets, which is why the terminology overlaps so much. Coverage Basics keeps the boundaries clear.