HHS oversees the functioning of the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Medicare and Medicaid provide tax payer funded medical care to the elderly and impoverished respectively. Without these valuable programs, both groups would be unlikely to be able to afford the care they need which would put undo strain on the health system to either reject patients or provide uncompensated care. Additionally, the burden for paying for the care of these individuals would likely fall to family or other community members.