Medicaid - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as CMS for short, is a federal agency in the United States Department of Health and Human Services that works with state governments to administer Medicaid, Medicare, health insurance portability standards and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. They have other responsibilities too, such as ensuring long-term care facility quality, clinical laboratory quality standards, and simplifying the administrative aspects of HIPPA 1996.

In 1965, the Social Security Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which established both Medicaid and Medicare. The Social Security Administration was responsible for administrating Medicaid. Then, in 1977, the Heath Care Financing Administration (HCFA) became responsible for Medicaid and Medicare. In 1980, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was split into two separate agencies now called the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HCFA moved under the Department of Health and Human Services. In July of 2001, HCFA was renamed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This change was done to give the agency a new direction and a new spirit to reflect the CMS's mission to serve millions of Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries throughout America.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland. There are 10 other regional offices located throughout the country. The Region I office is in Boston, Massachusetts and includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island. Region II is in New York City, New York and includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Region III is in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and includes the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, Virginia, and West Virginia. Region IV is in Atlanta Georgia and includes Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, and Kentucky. Region V is in Chicago Illinois and includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Minnesota.

Continuing to move across the country, Region VI is in Dallas, Texas and includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas. Region VII is in Kansas City, Missouri and includes Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. Region VIII is in Denver Colorado for Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. Region IX is in San Francisco, California and includes Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Region X is located in Seattle, Washington and includes the states of Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and Idaho.If you need assistance in locating particular coverages at a pre-determined price, we can help save 50% on health insurance.

Sean L Johnson is a journalist for Health Insurance Buyer a referral service that refers consumers to the insurance carriers that can best fit their wants and needs. Get a free reduce quote today at www.health-insurance-buyer.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_L_Johnson