health care for the needy; a federally and state-funded program
"Medicaid provides essential health care coverage to low-income individuals through a partnership between federal and state governments."
US government system for providing medical assistance to persons unable to afford medical treatments.
"After losing his job, John relied on Medicaid to cover his necessary surgeries because he could not afford the private insurance rates."
Medicaid is a blend of the words medical and aid. It originally referred to assistance specifically for healthcare needs.