Medicare Management: CMS Faces Challenges to Sustain Progress and Address Weaknesses

United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-07-31 monographic deposited born digital 34 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-817 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817 P0b002ee18038e572 f:d01817 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817 GAO-01-817 Health insurance cost control Health insurance Program management Internal controls Medical services rates Health services administration Claims processing Medicaid Program Medicare Choice Program Medicare Program State Children's Health Insurance Program Other Written Product A01501 Medicare Management: CMS Faces Challenges to Sustain Progress and Address Weaknesses Considering the complexity, the size, and the statutory constraints affecting the Medicare Program, some contend that the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA)--recently renamed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services--management of Medicare has--on balance--been satisfactory. Others argue that HCFA's management has been unacceptable. HCFA's record has been mixed and the agency's challenges are growing. Effective management of Medicare depends on finding a balance between flexibility and accountability--that is, granting the agency adequate flexibility to act prudently while ensuring that it can be held accountable for its decisions and actions. Moreover, because Medicare will play such a significant role in the nation's fiscal future, it is prudent to make an adequate investment to ensure that Medicare is professionally and efficiently managed. Achieving this goal will require the modernization and maintenance of Medicare's traditional day-to-day operations. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817.pdf GAO-01-817 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-817 Other Written Product GAO-01-817; Medicare Management: CMS Faces Challenges to Sustain Progress and Address Weaknesses; Health insurance cost control Health insurance Program management Internal controls Medical services rates Health services administration Claims processing Medicaid Program Medicare Choice Program Medicare Program State Children's Health Insurance Program