Medicare check

1 3.5

A government check that Medicare sends to an older person to pay medical costs

noun
/ˈmɛdɪˌkɛr tʃɛk/

: cheque de Medicare

Have you seen your Medicare checks this month?

Examples

He received his Medicare check in the mail and deposited it at the bank the same day.
Many elderly Americans rely on a Medicare check to help pay for their prescription medications.
After her surgery, Jill waited anxiously for her Medicare check to cover the hospital costs.
I received my Medicare check yesterday.
Many elderly people rely on their Medicare check to cover medical expenses.
She received her Medicare check in the mail, which helped pay for her prescription drugs.
Each month, my grandfather looks forward to receiving his Medicare check for his healthcare costs.

Synonyms

Medicare payment

vsMedicare check

4 4.4

Money from the government that helps older or disabled people pay medical bills

is sent as paper funds in the mail rather than by other methods

How Much

large purchase

2 2.8

Medicare check

1 3.5

partial

203 3.4

micropayment

Specialized

2 4.0

non-paying

3.9

Surface Forms

Medicare check singular

Medicare checks plural

Morphology

Medicare + check

The meaning is a straightforward composition of 'Medicare' (the US federal health insurance program) and 'check' (a payment), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a payment issued under Medicare. Although the referent is culturally specific to the United States, there is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, making the sense directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Medicare check creates a simple picture: a paper check sent by the US Medicare program to an older person to pay back medical bills. So, Medicare check means a 'payment' from Medicare that helps cover medical costs.