United States Department of Health and Human Services

United States Department of Health and Human Services

Seal of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Flag of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Department Headquarters
Department overview
Formed April 11, 1953 (1953-04-11) (as Department of Health, Education, and Welfare)
May 4, 1980 (1980-05-04) (as United States Department of Health and Human Services)
Preceding agencies
Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States
Headquarters Hubert H. Humphrey Building
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees 79,540 (2015)[1]
Department executives
Child Department
  • HHS agencies
Website www.HHS.gov
The HHS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), also known as the Health Department, is a cabinet-level department of the U.S. federal government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America".[2] Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

History

Federal Security Agency

The Federal Security Agency (FSA) was established on July 1, 1939, under the Reorganization Act of 1939, P.L. 76-19. The objective was to bring together in one agency all federal programs in the fields of health, education, and social security. The first Federal Security Administrator was Paul V. McNutt.[3]

The new agency originally consisted of the following major components: (1) Office of the Administrator, (2) Public Health Service (PHS), (3) Office of Education, (4) Civilian Conservation Corps, and (5) Social Security Board.

Origins

Early years

Post-WWII

Organizational Changes[3]

When the war ended, President Truman moved to "strengthen the arm of the federal government for better integration of services in the fields of health, education, and welfare."

Unlike statutes authorizing the creation of other executive departments, the contents of Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 were never properly codified within the United States Code, although Congress did codify a later statute ratifying the Plan. Today, the Plan is included as an appendix to Title 5 of the United States Code. The result is that HHS is the only executive department whose statutory foundation today rests on a confusing combination of several codified and uncodified statutes.

List of Federal Security Agency Administrators[4]

Name Dates of service
Paul V. McNutt July 13, 1939 – September 14, 1945
Watson B. Miller October 11, 1945 – August 26, 1947
Oscar R. Ewing August 27, 1947 – January 20, 1953
Oveta Culp Hobby January 21, 1953 – April 11, 1953

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Seal of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the U.S. Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Flag of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
The seal of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the flag of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, the flag of the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the flag of the U.S. Under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the flag of the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) was created on April 11, 1953, when Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 became effective. HEW thus became the first new Cabinet-level department since the Department of Labor was created in 1913. The Reorganization Plan abolished the FSA and transferred all of its functions to the Secretary of HEW and all components of the Agency to the Department. The first Secretary of HEW was Oveta Culp Hobby, a native of Texas, who had served as Commander of the Women's Army Corps in World War II and was editor and publisher of the Houston Post. Sworn in on April 11, 1953, as Secretary, she had been FSA Administrator since January 21, 1953.

The six major program-operating components of the new Department were the Public Health Service, the Office of Education, the Food and Drug Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and St. Elizabeth's Hospital. The Department was also responsible for three federally-aided corporations: Howard University, the American Printing House for the Blind, and the Columbia Institution for the Deaf (Gallaudet College since 1954).[4]

List of Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare[4]

Name Dates of service
Oveta Culp Hobby April 11, 1953 – July 31, 1955
Marion B. Folsom August 1, 1955 – July 31, 1958
Arthur Flemming August 1, 1958 – January 19, 1961
Abraham Ribicoff January 21, 1961 – July 13, 1962
Anthony J. Celebrezze July 31, 1962 – August 17, 1965
John W. Gardner August 18, 1965 – March 1, 1968
Wilbur J. Cohen (designate) March 22, 1968 – May 16, 1968
Wilbur J. Cohen May 16, 1968 – January 20, 1969
Robert H. Finch January 21, 1969 – June 23, 1970
Elliot L. Richardson June 24, 1970 – January 29, 1973
Caspar W. Weinberger February 12, 1973 – August 8, 1975
Forrest David Mathews August 8, 1975 – January 20, 1977
Joseph A. Califano Jr. January 20, 1977 – August 3, 1979
Patricia Roberts Harris August 3, 1979 – May 4, 1980

Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1979,[5] when its education functions were transferred to the newly created United States Department of Education under the Department of Education Organization Act.[6] HHS was left in charge of the Social Security Administration, agencies constituting the Public Health Service, and Family Support Administration.

In 1995, the Social Security Administration was removed from the Department of Health and Human Services, and established as an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States Government.

HHS is administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The United States Public Health Service (PHS) is the main division of the HHS and is led by the Assistant Secretary for Health. The current Secretary, Tom Price, was sworn in on February 10, 2017.

The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the uniformed service of the PHS, is led by the Surgeon General who is responsible for addressing matters concerning public health as authorized by the Secretary or by the Assistant Secretary of Health in addition to his or her primary mission of administering the Commissioned Corps.

Office of Inspector General

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigates criminal activity for HHS. The special agents who work for OIG have the same title series "1811", training and authority as other federal criminal investigators, such as the FBI, ATF, DEA and Secret Service. However, OIG Special Agents have special skills in investigating white collar crime related to Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse. Organized crime has dominated the criminal activity relative to this type of fraud.

HHS-OIG investigates tens of millions of dollars in Medicare fraud each year. In addition, OIG will continue its coverage of all 50 states and the District of Columbia by its multi-agency task forces (PSOC Task Forces) that identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals who willfully avoid payment of their child support obligations under the Child Support Recovery Act.

HHS-OIG agents also provide protective services to the Secretary of HHS, and other department executives as necessary.

In 2002, the department released Healthy People 2010, a national strategic initiative for improving the health of Americans.

With the passage of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 of 2009, and the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the Office of the Inspector General has taken an emboldened stance against healthcare related non-compliance, most notably for violations of Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.[7]

In 2015, the OIG issued a fraud alert as a warning to hospitals and healthcare systems to monitor and comply with their physician compensation arrangements.[8]

Recent years have seen dramatic increases in both the number and the amounts of Stark Law violation settlements, prompting healthcare experts to identify a need for automated solutions that manage physician arrangements by centralizing necessary information with regard to physician-hospital integration.[9] Contract Management software companies such as Meditract provide options for health systems to organize and store physician contracts. Ludi Inc introduced DocTime Log®, an SaaS solution that specifically addresses this growing concern, automating physician time logging in compliance with contract terms to eliminate Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute violations.[10]

Strengthening Communities Fund

In June 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services created the Strengthening Communities Fund[11] as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The fund was appropriated $50 million to be given as grants to organizations in the United States who were engaged in Capacity Building programs. The grants were given to two different types of capacity builders:

Capacity building in this program will involve education and outreach that catalyzes more involvement of nonprofit organizations in economic recovery

and building up nonprofit organization's abilities to tackle economic problems. State, Local and Tribal governments can receive up to $250,000 in two year grants

Organization

The Department of Health and Human Services is led by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, a member of the United States Cabinet appointed by the President of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate. The Secretary is assisted in managing the Department by the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, who is also appointed by the President. The Secretary and Deputy Secretary are further assisted by seven Assistant Secretaries, who serve as top Departmental administrators.

Several agencies within HHS are components of the Public Health Service (PHS), including AHRQ, ASPR, ATSDR, CDC, FDA, HRSA, IHS, NIH, SAMHSA, OGHA, and OPHS.[13]

Budget and finances

The Department of Health and Human Services was authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2015 of $1.020 trillion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows:[14]

Program Funding (in billions)
Management and Finance
Departmental Management $1.4
Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund $1.4
Operating Divisions
Food and Drug Administration $2.6
Health Resources and Services Administration $10.4
Indian Health Service $4.8
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention $6.7
National Institutes of Health $30.4
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration $3.4
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality $0.4
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services $906.8
Administration for Children and Families $51.3
Administration for Community Living $2.1
TOTAL 1,020.3

Historical budgets

HHS.Gov provides complete details on current and historical budgets for that agency. Budgets for fiscal years prior to 2014 are archived by Archive-It as requested by HHS.

Quick Links: FY2016, FY2015, FY2014, FY2013, FY2012, FY2011, FY2010, FY2009, All HHS budget collections on Archive-It

Former operating divisions and agencies

Programs

The Department of Health and Human Services' administers 115 programs across its 11 operating divisions.[15] Some highlights include:

Freedom of Information Act processing performance

In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act (United States) (FOIA) requests published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the DHHS ranked second to last, earning an F by scoring 57 out of a possible 100 points, largely due to a low score on its particular disclosure rules. It had deteriorated from a D- in 2013.[17]

Health care reform

The 2010 United States federal budget established a reserve fund of more than $630 billion over 10 years to finance fundamental reform of the health care system.[18]

See also

Notes and references

  1. (ASFR), Office of Budget (OB), Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources (March 27, 2014). "2015 Budget in Brief".
  2. "About HHS". U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 "Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A Common Thread of Service: An Historical Guide to HEW. DHEW Publication No. (OS) 73-45". July 1, 1972. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Preliminary inventory of the records of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (PI 181, Record Group 235), National Archives and Records Service, 1975.
  5. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives, Title 20, Section 3508
  6. Full text of the Department of Education Organization Act, P.L. 96-88.
  7. "Becker's Hospital Review".
  8. "Becker's Hospital Review" (PDF).
  9. "Becker's Hospital Review".
  10. "Ludi, Inc. Closes $1M in Series A Financing". Business Wire.
  11. "Strengthening Communities Fund". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
  12. "Strengthening Communities Fund: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation Plan" (PDF). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. May 24, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2013.
  13. (ASPA), Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (October 24, 2008). "HHS Organization Chart".
  14. 2015 Department of Health and Human Services Budget-in-Brief, pg 10, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Accessed 2015-07-14.
  15. Budget and Performance. HHS.gov. Retrieved on 2014-04-15.
  16. "Home - Office of Child Support Enforcement - Administration for Children and Families".
  17. Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2015 March 2015, 80 pages, Center for Effective Government, retrieved March 21, 2016.
  18. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/assets/fy2010_new_era/A_New_Era_of_Responsibility2.pdf
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