The Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has designated the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to administer the standards & compliance aspects of the Medicare & Medicaid programs. Created in 1977 as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), HCFA was named the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 14, 2001. The agency has the following responsibilities:
- Administer the Medicare & Medicaid programs
- Administer the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with the Health Resources & Services Administration
- Regulate all laboratory testing (except research) performed on humans in the United States
- Help millions of Americans & small companies get & keep health insurance coverage with the Departments of Labor & Treasury
- Help eliminate discrimination based on health status for people buying health insurance