Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), executive department of the United States federal government, charged with administering a wide range of programs in the fields of health care and social services. The department is headed by the secretary of health and human services, who is appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate and who is a member of the Cabinet. It was established in September 1979.

The department has had two predecessors: the Federal Security Agency, created in 1939, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), established in 1953. The Federal Security Agency administered programs in education as well as in health and social services; HEW took over all three functions. From an initial 35,000 employees and a $5.4-billion budget in 1953, HEW expanded to nearly 160,000 employees and a $173 billion budget in 1979. In part because of the scope of the department’s programs and its sometimes unwieldy size, in 1979 educational matters were transferred to a new and separate Department of Education, and the remainder of HEW was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services (see Education, Department of).

The department has 11 major divisions, comprising 3 agencies that provide human services and 8 public health agencies. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) administers services that promote the economic and social well-being of children, families, and communities. The actual services are run by state and local organization; the ACF provides funding, information, and policy guidelines. Among the services it funds are Head Start, a program for preschool children; programs to prevent child abuse and domestic violence; and child support enforcement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services operates Medicare and the federal portion of Medicaid, programs that fund medical care for the aged and the needy, respectively. Together these programs serve about one-fourth of Americans (see Medicare and Medicaid). The Administration on Aging administers grants for state and local programs that serve older Americans and help them remain independent. Such programs include meals on wheels, transportation, and at-home services.

HHS has eight public health divisions, which serve to protect the physical and mental health of the population. Two of the most important are the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which checks the safety of foods, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices; and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which conducts and supports health research at various institutes and centers. The other HHS public health divisions are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The Surgeon General, America’s chief health educator, also has an office in the Department of Health and Human Services. The Social Security Administration was part of HHS until 1995, when it became an independent government agency.