The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

5–8 minutes

“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.” – HHS.gov

Word.

Honestly, I like this mission statement. Sure, it’s a run-on sentence, but that’s what the people who write these things do best. I really get annoyed when the verbs get too sparkly and every noun has three adjectives. “The mission of the department of cotton balls is to bestow upon every user distinguished absorption with plumose, feather-like contact to liase superior wound dressing, chique makeup application, and inspired arts and crafts.” Something like that. HHS seems to have the right level of vocabulary and an appropriate amount of commas. It’s also broad, which is good for a mission statement, but not so good for anybody trying to figure out the ins and outs of the system. Let’s get into it.

HHS is run by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and it’s a department under the executive branch. When a president is elected, they nominate people for all of the “Secretary of …” positions. As an avid reality TV watcher, the next step in the process is my favorite. The Senate brings the nominees in for confirmation hearings. Back in the good ol’ days, this was simply a way for Congress to get to know candidates a little better before approving them for these very important positions. It was more of a formality. Today, it’s a Real Housewives-style bloodbath. It’s verbal hair-pulling and drink-throwing that’s covered closely by the media. You’ve probably seen snippets of well-known senators absolutely shredding nominees while they shrink behind the microphone and swerve each inflammatory question with frustrating non-answers that make perfect viral clips. Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is one you’d probably remember, though he’s a Supreme Court justice, not a secretary… and probably guilty of sexual assault… although 50 senators didn’t seem to mind… If you want the tea, you can look up the real-life highlights. If you want to laugh, then watch the SNL cold open with Matt Damon as Kavanaugh. Kanye was the musical guest for this episode. Ahh, 2018. What a time to be alive as an SNL viewer. Anywho, after the Senate holds the hearings, they vote, and the nominee can be confirmed with a simple majority of the votes, which is 51 or greater in the U.S. Senate. Our current Secretary of HHS, RFK Jr., was confirmed in the Senate 52-48.

Once they’re in office, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has a lot of important responsibilities, and they answer to the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court. If Congress passes legislation that involves one of the agencies under HHS, then HHS has to do stuff that supports that legislation. If the president signs an executive order (oh sh*t, what’s that? click here), then HHS again has to do stuff that supports that order. The Supreme Court can decide the bounds of HHS actions if someone challenges any of these laws or executive orders. The Secretary of HHS also has the responsibility of declaring public health emergencies, directing funds as decided by Congress, representing the U.S. in global health organizations, and working with states on public health programs. You may have heard of the Federal Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. All of these bad boys are run by HHS and are under direct oversight of whoever is in the Secretary position. Yikes.

I don’t know about you, but as someone with a human body who also spends around 40 hours per week caring for other human bodies, I take a special interest in the business of all of these agencies. I’m now wondering what I need to look out for in the news if I’m going to accurately scrutinize what our government does with these projects.

One thing I found really important in my amateur Googling for this article was the national budget. Each year, as part of proposing funding for the entire government, the president and HHS suggest their idea of an HHS budget to Congress, who gets the final say on where the money will be allocated. Certain funding is explicitly dictated by Congress, like how much goes to Medicare and Medicaid, while other funding is more broad and “discretionary.” This just means HHS has a little more wiggle room on where they can focus their spending. After Congress finishes doctoring up the proposed budget, they send it back to the president, and then it’s either signed or vetoed. If signed, the funds are allocated as dictated in the final document. If vetoed, Congress can override the president’s veto with a 2/3 majority vote (aka a supermajority) to pass the budget. If Congress can’t get enough votes to override a veto, that’s when we have the infamous “government shutdown.” So, to circle back, if I care about things like Medicare and Medicaid, which I do, I need to listen in for any changes in funding proposed in the annual budget and which Congress members are in support or opposed to these changes. More on Medicare and Medicaid in an upcoming article.

Another thing that needs to be considered when looking not only at the HHS secretary but political appointees across the board is their personal agenda for the country. That’s an oxymoron but also probably the truest phrase I have ever written. Yes, many of our politicians have an agenda for themselves that they try to pass off as an agenda for “we the people.” But you didn’t need me to tell you that. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. But yes, obviously, whoever is in charge of HHS is going to have some say in the direction of things in the department.

Okay, I’m in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State. “The World’s Biggest Pencil,” as my dad calls it. I know this country was founded on preventing federal overreach and giving states a lot of power to govern themselves. So what’s the difference between what the HHS says and how those policies actually play out in my state? Why did I yell at everyone I know to make sure to vote in their local and state elections? Why does it scare the sh*t out of a bunch of people when certain laws are no longer federally enforced, and crossing a state line dictates whether or not you are a criminal? I was going to write about it here, but it’s way bigger than the back half of a 7-minute article.

Buckle up, kids. Next time, we’re talking about the federalist system.

Okay, I’ll admit, that was a bit anticlimactic. But, remember, these reads are meant to make your gears turn, not to make your blood pressure spike. We’re done letting the media manipulate our emotions. Enter your email in the sidebar to the right (or the home page if you’re reading on your phone) to subscribe and get the next article before anybody else. Take back control of how you consume politics.

As always, sources and fact check below.

1. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Overview:

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Overview
URL: https://www.hhs.gov/about/what-we-do/index.html

2. How the National Budget Affects HHS:

Source: “The U.S. Federal Budget Process,” Congressional Research Service
URL: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10003
Source: “How the President’s Budget Becomes Law,” Congressional Research Service
URL: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS20371