Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Freedom of Information Act Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2008

摘要

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a component within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for overseeing the Medicare and Medicaid programs - the nation's largest health insurance programs - which benefit about one in every four Americans. CMS relies on a contractor-owned and operated network to facilitate communication and data transmission among CMS business related entities. Enacted in 1966, the Freedom of Information Act established for the first time an effective statutory right of access to government information. Congress has amended the statute several times, most recently in 1996. The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (Electronic FOIA amendments) addressed the subject of electronic records, as well as the subject areas of FOIA reading rooms and agency backlogs of FOIA requests, among other procedural provisions. All federal agencies are required under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to disclose records requested in writing by any person. However, agencies may withhold information pursuant to nine exemptions and three exclusions contained in the statute. The FOIA applies only to federal agencies and does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the courts, or by state or local government agencies. Each state has its own public access laws that should be consulted for access to state and local records. Each federal agency is responsible for meeting its FOIA responsibilities for its own records.