The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The office was formerly Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
In 1980, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was renamed the Department of Health and Human Services, and its education functions and Rehabilitation Services Administration were transferred to the new Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.
Nominations to the office of Secretary of HHS are referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid, before confirmation is considered by the full United States Senate.
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act the role of the Secretary has been greatly expanded.
Donald Trump selected then-Congressman Tom Price to be the 23rd Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. Price was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 10, 2017 and resigned on September 29, 2017. Trump then named Don J. Wright, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as acting Secretary until Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan was sworn in on October 10, 2017. On November 13, 2017, Trump nominated former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar to fill the position permanently. Azar's confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee took place on January 9, 2018, and on January 24, 2018, Azar was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 55 to 43. Azar was sworn in on January 29, 2018.
Duties
Press Briefing on Opioids meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price - Bedminster, NJ.
The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the president on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. The Secretary strives to administer the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department.
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was reorganized into a Department of Education and a Department of Health and Human Services (US DHHS).
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
List of Secretaries of Health and Human Services
- Parties
  Democratic (8)   Republican (15)   Independent (1)
Line of succession
The line of succession for the Secretary of Health and Human Services is as follows:
- Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services
- Assistant Secretary for Administration
- Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
- Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Commissioner of Food and Drugs
- Director of the National Institutes of Health
- Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
- Other Assistant Secretaries (following in the order they took the oath of office)
- Assistant Secretary for Health
- Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
- Assistant Secretary for Legislation
- Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources
- Assistant Secretary for Aging
- Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Director, Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia)
Living former secretaries
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
As of April 2018, there are two living former Secretaries of Health, Education and Welfare, the oldest being Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977â€"1979, born 1931). The most recent Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to die was Caspar Weinberger (served 1973â€"1975, born 1917), on March 28, 2006. The most recently serving Secretary to die was Patricia Roberts Harris (served 1979â€"1980, born 1924) on March 23, 1985.
Department of Health and Human Services
As of April 2018, there are eight living former Secretaries of Health and Human Services (with all Secretaries that have served since 1989 still living), the oldest being Margaret Heckler (served 1983â€"1985, born 1931); The most recent Secretary of Health and Human Services to die was Richard Schweiker (served 1981â€"1983, born 1926), on July 31, 2015. The most recently serving Secretary to die was Otis R. Bowen (served 1985â€"1988, born 1918) on May 4, 2013.
References
External links
- Official website
- Department Of Health And Human Services Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed