Medicare is the Federal health insurance program established in 1965 which is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health Services. Medicare is health insurance for the following people:

• Age 65 or older;
• Under age 65 with certain disabilities who qualify for disability benefits from Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RBB);
• Any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) - permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant;
• Diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's Disease) the month your disability benefits begin.