A health plan allowing the member to choose to receive a service from a participating or non-participating provider, usually with different benefits levels associated with the use of participating providers.
A federal insurance program enacted in 1965 as Title XVIII of the Social Security Act that provides certain inpatient hospital services and physician services for all persons age 65 and older and eligible disabled individuals. The program is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA).