Health Information Information to help you stay healthy. Your browser security settings are too high or it does not support scripting. Some pages may not behave as expected. We have provided information on what features may not work as expected , tips to use in navigating through the site and other options that are available. A large portion of Medicare and Medicaid dollars is used each year to cover nursing home care and services for the elderly and disabled.
State governments oversee the licensing of nursing homes.
In addition, States have a contract with HCFA to monitor those nursing homes that want to be eligible to provide care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Congress established minimum requirements for nursing homes that want to provide services under Medicare and Medicaid. HCFA, a DHHS Agency, is also charged with the responsibility of working out the details of the law and how it will be implemented, which it does by writing regulations and manuals. HCFA contracts with each State to conduct onsite inspections that determine whether its nursing homes meet the minimum Medicare and Medicaid quality and performance standards. Typically, the part of State government that takes care of this duty is the health department or department of human services.