U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
| Department of Health and Human Services | |
 | |
| Secretary: | Xavier Becerra |
| Year created: | 1979 |
| Official website: | HHS.gov |
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The Department of Health and Human Services is a United States executive department established in 1979. The department was formed for "protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves."[1][2]
The department oversees various agencies including, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Xavier Becerra is the secretary of health and human services. On December 7, 2020, President Joe Biden (D) announced Becerra was his nominee for the position. The Senate confirmed Becerra on March 18, 2021. Click here to learn more about his confirmation process.
History
The department was formed as the Cabinet-level Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) in 1953 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1979 the Department of Education split from HEW, and the Department of Health and Human Services was formed. Below is a list of events throughout the department's history:[1]
- 1953: Salk polio vaccine licensed
- 1964: First Surgeon General's report on smoking and health
- 1965: Medicare and Medicaid programs created
- 1979: Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education split from (HEW)
- 1984: National Organ Transplantation Act became law
- 1990: Human Genome Project established
- 1996: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) became law
- 1997: State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) created
- 1999: Anti-bioterrorism initiative launched
- 2003: Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act enacted
- 2010: Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law
Mission
According to the Department of Health and Human Services' website:[2]
| “ | The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.[3] | ” |
Leadership
| Administrative State |
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| Read more about the administrative state on Ballotpedia. |
The current secretary of health and human services is Xavier Becerra. The secretary of health and human services advises the president on "health, welfare, and income security plans, policies, and programs of the Federal Government."[4] The duties of the secretary of health and human services include:
- Overseeing a budget and employees;
- Directing department staff in carrying out the approved programs and activities of the department;
- Promoting general public understanding of the department's goals, programs, and objectives; and
- Administering these functions through 12 operating agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).[4]
| Secretaries of Health and Human Services Full History | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | Years in office | Nominated by | Confirmation vote | |||||
| Patricia R. Harris | 1979-1981 | Jimmy Carter | N/A | |||||
| Richard Schweiker | 1981-1983 | Ronald Reagan | 99-0 | |||||
| Margaret Heckler | 1983-1985 | Ronald Reagan | 82-3 | |||||
| Otis R. Bowen | 1985-1989 | Ronald Reagan | 93-2 | |||||
| Louis W. Sullivan | 1989-1993 | George H.W. Bush | 98-1 | |||||
| Donna Shalala | 1993-2001 | Bill Clinton | N/A | |||||
| Tommy Thompson | 2001-2005 | George W. Bush | 100-0 | |||||
| Mike Leavitt | 2005-2009 | George W. Bush | N/A | |||||
| Kathleen Sebelius | 2009-2014 | Barack Obama | 65-31 | |||||
| Sylvia Mathews Burwell | 2014-2017 | Barack Obama | 78-17 | |||||
| Tom Price | 2017-2017 | Donald Trump | 52-47 | |||||
| Alex Azar | 2018-2021 | Donald Trump | 55-43 | |||||
| Norris Cochran (acting) | 2021-2021 | Joe Biden | N/A | |||||
| Xavier Becerra | 2021-Present | Joe Biden | 50-49 | |||||
Note: Votes marked "N/A" represent voice votes or unrecorded votes.
Organizational chart
Click here to view the HHS organizational chart.
Responsibilities
HHS is responsible for maintaining programs aimed at enhancing “the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services,” according to the department’s mission. HHS collaborates with other federal departments and agencies to pursue cross-agency collaborations on high-priority issues. HHS works with state, tribal, local, and U.S. territorial governments to administer programs, provide federal funds, and offer technical assistance for services that aim to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities.[5] [6]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversees federal healthcare-related programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. More than 20 different offices and divisions within the organization track the financial operations of healthcare programs or investigate efficiency improvements through new technology.[7]
For more information about the history, structure, and responsibilities of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, click here.
Child Care and Development Fund
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is authorized by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 and Section 418 of the Social Security Act of 1935. CCDF “assists low-income families in obtaining child care so they can work or attend training/education. The program also improves the quality of child care, and promotes coordination among early childhood development and afterschool programs,” according to HHS. The Office of Child Care within HHS oversees the distribution of federal CCDF block grants to the states. CCDF programs are then administered by states, territories, and tribes. [8]
CCDF contracts with providers to offer subsidized child care services to eligible families through certificates, vouchers, or grants. States have the authority to set income eligibility at or below 85 percent of the state median income and may set the maximum age for children at or below 13 years of age, or at or below 19 years of age if children have special needs, according to the Urban Institute. County governments are responsible for administering CCDF in at least eight states (Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin).
Role of Child Care and Development Fund in work requirements for child care subsidies
States are responsible for defining the activities that qualify a family for assistance through CCDF, such as work requirements, education participation, and community service. Employment is an approved activity for CCDF funding in every state and some states also approve subsidies for parents participating in education and training activities. Working, periods of job search, self-employment, attending job training or education-related activities, foster care, and subsidized guardianship are activities that meet eligibility standards for CCDF subsidies in different states. State agencies have flexibility in determining eligibility for CCDF subsidies: “Lead Agencies have flexibility to consider children’s developmental needs and specific family circumstances, such as jobs requiring split work schedules, breaks between education courses, and sleep time for parents who work multiple jobs or have nontraditional work hours.”[9][10][11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms United States Department of Health and Human Services. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Official Department of Health and Human Services website
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter page
- Official Youtube channel
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Department of Health and Human Services, "Historical Highlights," accessed December 9, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "About HHS," accessed February 26, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 HHS.gov, "Guide to Information Resources," accessed August 11, 2014
- ↑ ‘’HHS,’’ ‘’Programs,’’ accessed May 4, 2023
- ↑ ‘’HHS,’’ ‘’Strategic Plan 2022-2026,’’ accessed April 4, 2023
- ↑ ‘’HHS,’’ ‘’Childcare and Development Fund,’’ accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ ‘’HHS,’’ ‘’Childcare and Development Fund,’’ accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ Urban Institute, Child care subsidies, accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ HHS Child care, parental activities and reason for care, accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Child care aware, child care and development block grant, accessed April 11, 2023
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