'''Medicaid''' is a [[welfare]] program developed mainly by President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], in coordination with the [[Great Society]]. The Medicaid Program allocates tax dollars to provide medical care for poor [[American]]s.
+
'''Medicaid''' is a joint federal-state [[welfare]] program developed originally by President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], in coordination with the [[Great Society]]. The Medicaid Program pays for medical care for poor people without insurance.
+
+
Medicaid initially, it covered mainly people on welfare, as defined by the states. Gradually, eligibility broadened. Now, children ages 6 to 18 in households under the poverty line ($22,050 for a family of four) are eligible. Congress also set higher limits (133% of the poverty line) for pregnant women and children under 6. In 1997, Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to expand coverage further.
+
+
Medicaid is entirely separate from [[Medicare]], which provides federal funding of health care for people over 65 and those with disabilities.