Medicaid and Medicare have similar benefits, but different target audiences and structures.

Medicaid targets those who are in desperate need for medical care. Medicaid is a social welfare program. Medicaid provides relief for pregnant mothers, people disabled, chronically disabled adults, mentally ill people and has slightly different rules based on one’s state. It’s generally for people in poor health due to poverty whether than age, even though a small group of seniors receive Medicaid, but those seniors tend to be ones struggling with high medicine costs and with little assets.

Medicare almost always is for those over 65. Medicare is a single-payer health care system and is controlled by the federal government. It ensures medical coverage for the older members of the population. The very first person to qualify for Medicare was President Harry Truman when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law. If one is a citizen of the United States for five years or more and meets the age criteria, one will be eligible for Medicare. Medicare covers both hospital insurance and medical insurance. If one is under 65 and gets Medicare, it’s because that person receives Social Security or Railroad Retirement Benefits for 24 months or are on dialysis or eligible for Social Security Disability insurance and suffer from Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Thank goodness these systems are in place to ensure Americans quality health care.

With the economy the way it is, we all could use a little help finding affordable health care. Here are 10 ways to help you with finding affordable health care.

1. COBRA. First, it is best to start with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). If you’re unemployed you may be eligible to continue your last employers’ health insurance through COBRA. This also applies to young adults going off to college, you also may be able to continue on your parents health insurance coverage through COBRA. This is a very good option for people who may have lost their job and are still undergoing medical treatments.

2. Workers’ Compensation. If you are being treated for any work related injury, your employer must offer you treatment under their Workers’ Compensation program.

3. Medicaid. Don’t automatically think that since you have a job you won’t qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid will pay health care expenses for low-income families and individuals. Each state sets the eligibility requirements so qualifying for the program is dependent on the state.

4. Medicare. Medicare is provided by the government and administered by the Social Security Administration. If you are sixty-five years old or older you would qualify for Medicare. You may also qualify if you are getting Social Security disability benefits.

5. State High Risk Health Insurance Pool. If you are turned down by individual health insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions, your state may have a high risk health insurance pool you can obtain health insurance from.

6. Individual and Family Health Insurance: This is where you just go to an insurance company and buy individual or family health insurance the same way you would by home or auto insurance. Getting a high deductible “emergency” policy is a better way to maintain a low cost health insurance plan and keeping a Health Savings Account for smaller health issues will probably save you money in the long run.

7. Short Term Health Insurance Coverage: This is a great affordable health insurance option for someone in-between jobs or who knows they will be starting a job soon.

8. Group Insurance from Organization Memberships. Some people are members of specific organizations that offer health insurance coverage.  Although these organizations often do not help pay the health insurance premiums like an employer would, the rates would be lower because of the group discount.

9. Group Health Expenses Sharing Plan. This is not insurance but works similar to it. This is when a group of people pool their money together and pay each others’ health expenses… they pretty much become their own insurance company. The contributions are pooled together and usually invested in order to accrue interest on the pooled funds. It works well when there are a lot of people who contribute and everyone is only using the money for major medical expenses. There are religious groups that use this model successfully.

10. Health Insurance Discount Cards. Again, this is also not an insurance plan but can be a good source for getting low cost health services. You pay a small monthly fee for a membership card and when you go to the doctor or hospital you will get a discounted rate on your services