Medicare is administered by which federal agency?

• A. Department of Education
• B. Food and Drug Administration
• C. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
• D. National Institutes of Health

Answer: (C)

Medicare is a federal health insurance program; its administration is handled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services. CMS oversees eligibility, coverage rules, enrollment, and how claims are processed and paid to providers for Medicare services. It also coordinates with contractors to deliver benefits to eligible individuals, such as those aged 65 and older or certain disabled individuals. The other agencies listed—Education, FDA, and NIH—do not administer Medicare, as their roles are in education, regulation of drugs and devices, and biomedical research, respectively.