Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with State governments to administer Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and health insurance portability standards. In addition to these programs, CMS has other responsibilities, including the administrative simplification standards from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), quality standards in long-term-care facilities (more commonly referred to as nursing homes) through its survey and certification process, and clinical laboratory quality standards under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act on July 20, 1965, establishing both Medicare and Medicaid. The Social Security Administration (SSA) became responsible for the administration of Medicare and the Social and Rehabilitation Service (SRS) became responsible for the administration of Medicaid. Both Agencies were organized under what was then known as the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

In 1977 the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) was established under HEW. HCFA became responsible for the coordination of Medicare and Medicaid. The responsibility for enrolling beneficiaries into Medicare and processing premium payments remained with SSA.

In 1980 the Department of Health and Human Services was created when HEW was divided into two agencies: the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HCFA became an agency under the Department of Health and Human Services.

On July 1, 2001 HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson renamed HCFA the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Secretary Thompson explained that in order "to give the agency a new direction, a new spirit, it is necessary that we give it a new name - one that truly reflects the agency's vital mission to serve millions of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries across America."

For a more comprehensive presentation of CMS history visit the CMS history page which contains indepth information on the creation and evolution of CMS as well as oral histories from past Administrators, Secretaries, and Members of Congress.

See also:
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Health Insurance
• Obesity
• Complications of Obesity
• BMI - Body Mass Index
• Plastic Surgery
• Abdominoplasty
• Liposuction
• Mesotherapy

• For financing of health procedures.
• For patient loans.

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