Department of Health and Human Services: Difference between revisions

{{Organization

|OrganizationName=Department of Health and Human Services

|Mission=The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) aims to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans. It works to provide effective health and human services, promote scientific research, and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare and social services.

|CreationLegislation=Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Act of 1953 (Reorganization in 1979)

|Budget=$1.7 trillion (FY 2023)

|OrganizationExecutive=Secretary of Health and Human Services

|Regulations=Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); Affordable Care Act (ACA); Social Security Act

}}

The '''Department of Health and Human Services''' ('''HHS''') is a [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet-level]] [[United States federal executive departments|executive branch]] department of the U.S. [[federal government of the United States|federal government]] created to protect the health of the U.S. people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hhs.gov/about/ |title=About HHS |publisher=U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |access-date=November 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113071606/http://www.hhs.gov/about |archive-date=November 13, 2013}}</ref> Before the separate federal [[United States Department of Education|Department of Education]] was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

HHS is administered by the [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|secretary of health and human services]], who is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the [[United States Senate]].

From January 2020, [[Christi Grimm]] became the principal deputy inspector general. She assumed the duties of an acting inspector general, because the inspector general post was empty.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dzhanova |first1=Yelena |title=Trump looks to replace HHS watchdog who identified crucial hospital supply shortages |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/02/coronavirus-trump-looks-to-replace-hhs-watchdog-who-reported-supply-shortages.html |access-date=May 5, 2020 |work=[[CNBC]] |date=May 2, 2020}}</ref> In April 2020, Grimm released a report which surveyed the state of hospitals in late March during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]]. The hospitals reported "severe shortages of testing supplies", "frequently waiting 7 days or longer for test results", which extended the length of patient stays and strained resources, and "widespread shortages of PPE".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grimm |first1=Christi |title=Hospital Experiences Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a National Pulse Survey March 23–27, 2020 |url=https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-20-00300.pdf |access-date=April 18, 2020 |publisher=[[Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]]}}</ref> President Trump called the report "wrong" and questioned Grimm's motives. Later he called the report "Another Fake Dossier!"<ref name=RobertsonApril7>{{cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=Lori |title=The HHS Inspector General Report |date=April 7, 2020 |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2020/04/the-hhs-inspector-general-report/ |publisher=[[Factcheck.org]] |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref> In May 2020, Trump nominated Jason Weida to be the permanent inspector general, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate. According to a department spokeswoman, Grimm will remain as principal deputy inspector general.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stracqualursi |first1=Veronica |title=Trump names his pick for HHS inspector general after criticizing acting official over coronavirus report |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/02/politics/hhs-inspector-general-trump-nominee-jason-weida/index.html |access-date=May 5, 2020 |work=CNN |date=May 2, 2020}}</ref>