Medicaid is primarily for people who meet the following eligibility requirement:

Elderly individuals are the primary target of Medicare; while elderly low-income individuals may qualify for both programs (dual eligibles), age alone is not Medicaid's primary eligibility criterion.

Medicaid, established under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, is a means-tested program where financial need (low income) is the foundational eligibility requirement. It is jointly funded by federal and state governments and provides health coverage to eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities, with income thresholds being the primary qualifying factor.

Children are covered under Medicaid and CHIP, but the overarching eligibility criterion for Medicaid is income level, not age as a child specifically.

Disabled individuals may qualify for Medicaid based on income and disability status, but disability alone - without a means-test component - is not the primary defining eligibility criterion.