Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Agency

1. agency of the Department of Health and Human Services charged with administering the Medicare and Medicaid programs and certain parts of the Affordable Care Act. Medicare provides health insurance coverage for people age 65 and over, people under 65 who have certain disabilities, and people who are undergoing certain treatments for kidney disease. Medicaid, which is jointly financed by state and federal governments but is administered by the states, covers health-care expenses for needy families, and most states also cover the needy elderly, blind, and disabled who are enrolled in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program as well as eligible children and low-income pregnant women.