Institutions of Impact: Examining the Department of Health and Human Services
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of articles exploring the history, mission and essential services provided by key government agencies. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed funding cuts and potential changes to the way agencies operate could significantly weaken these agencies and disrupt essential services that millions rely on daily.
A second Donald Trump presidential administration is likely to bring changes to health care, potentially scaling back public health insurance programs and impacting access to reproductive health care, Medicaid, Medicare and other services. National Public Radio recently reported about how health care could change under the new administration.
History
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the primary agency designed 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,” according to its mission statement. The department was established in 1953 as the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Earlier, the Public Health Service was contained in the Federal Security Agency. In 1979, the department was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services after the transfer of its education functions to the newly established Department of Education. Ultimately, its roots extend to 1798 when the Marine Hospital Service was formed to care for the health of merchant seamen.
Key services and functions
The Department of Health and Human Services has 13 operating divisions, including 10 agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies. The department oversees the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other agencies. The department’s Office for Civil Rights enforces federal laws related to civil rights, conscience and religious freedom, privacy and other matters related to health care. The HHS is responsible for more than 100 programs focused on health care, wellness, research, social services and other areas. These programs include:
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Health Insurance Marketplace
- Children’s Health Insurance Program
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Head Start
Additionally, the department runs programs aimed at assisting people with disabilities, seniors, military families and people experiencing homelessness.
Also in the series: Understanding the Department of Education
Illustration at top by the SPLC.
