United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

The United States secretary of health and human services is a high-ranking official who heads the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The secretary is responsible for managing the many agencies that make up the department, ensuring the HHS budget is utilized appropriately, and seeing that the department’s goals and initiatives are being implemented properly. The secretary is appointed by the president of the United States and reports directly to the president.

The HHS is the government’s primary agency for protecting the health and well-being of American citizens. Areas within the department’s reach include vaccines, health care, and prescription medication. It also works to prevent foodborne illnesses and disease outbreaks.

Overview

The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is a member of the president’s cabinet. As a member of the cabinet, the HHS secretary is an advisor to the president on issues relating to the health and well-being of all Americans. The secretary of health is an important member of the executive branch and is twelfth in the line of presidential succession.

The HHS secretary manages the department, ensuring that the HHS is carrying out its responsibilities in a dedicated and efficient manner. They oversee its budget, helping decide how money allocated to the department should be spent. The secretary heads initiatives to make sure the public properly understands the department’s goals. The HHS secretary manages interactions between the various agencies contained within the department. The HHS oversees such agencies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The secretary of the HHS is appointed by the president. Before the secretary may accept the appointment, it must be confirmed by the US Senate. Should the Senate vote against the president’s choice, or fail to vote at all, the president must nominate a new candidate for the position.

The HHS was founded in 1953 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Originally, the department was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The first secretary of the US health department was Oveta Culp Hobby. She was appointed by Eisenhower upon the department’s creation and was only the second woman to hold a US cabinet position. Prior to the health department’s creation, lawmakers had used several other programs and agencies to manage the nation’s hospitals, health care, and education. Once the department was established, it assumed most of these responsibilities. In 1979, the Department of Education was separated from its parent department, becoming its own entity. In response, the health department was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services.

The HHS is concerned with all aspects of medicine, public health, and human services that are necessary for Americans to live healthy lives. As such, the HHS has been involved in numerous important projects throughout its history. These include the Medicare and Medicaid programs, vaccines, the improvement of prescription drugs, the human genome project, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The HHS’s Medicare program, which covers Americans age sixty-five and older, is one of the largest health insurers in the nation, processing more than one billion claims per year.

Bibliography

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“Health and Human Services Department.” Federal Register, www.federalregister.gov/agencies/health-and-human-services-department. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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“HHS Historical Highlights.” US Department of Health and Human Services, 14 Mar. 2023, www.hhs.gov/about/historical-highlights/index.html. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

“HHS Organizational Chart.” US Department of Health and Human Services, 21 Aug. 2025, www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/orgchart/index.html. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

“Programs & Services.” US Department of Health and Human Services, www.hhs.gov/programs/index.html. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

“Secretaries of Health and Human Services.” United States History, www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1252.html. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

“U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” Ballotpedia, ballotpedia.org/U.S._Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.