What are government-sponsored health care programs?

Health coverage is available through the workers’ compensation systems in the states if the care relates to injuries suffered on the job. Government subsidized or government provided care, includes Medicare for the elderly or disabled, or Medicaid (it may be known in different states by different names, such as MediCal in California) for the disadvantaged, CHIPS (which covers children who and pregnant women who do not have access to affordable coverage), CHAMPUS for military dependents, and Medically Indigent Adult (MIA) programs for the indigent poor at the county level.

In some cases, limited medical services are available from the state Department of Health. In addition to the foregoing, in many communities there are private free clinics unaffiliated with any insurance company, plan or government entity. Depending on the outcome of the current health care debate in Congress, there could be more government sponsored programs, or the existing programs could see their coverage expanded.