Massive reductions in health health and human services report dramatic change in American health policy

On March 27, 2025, the secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Build the department considerably. HHS is the umbrella agency responsible for pandemic preparation, biomedical research, food security and many others Health -related activities.

In a video published this afternoon, Kennedy said that the cuts and the reorganization of the HHS aim to “rationalize our agency” and to “radically improve our quality of service” by eliminating crawling waste and ineffectiveness. “”No American will be left behind“Said the Secretary of Health for the Nation.

Inasmuch as Scholar of Us Health and Public Health PolicyI wrote on administrative charges that prevent many Americans access to the advantages to which they are entitled, including those provided by HHS, Medicaid.

Few experts would deny that federal bureaucracy can be ineffective and partitioned. This includes HHS, and The calls to restructure the agency are nothing new

Combined with previous discounts, these cuts can save short -term savings. However, the proposed changes considerably modify American health policy and research, and they can endanger significant advantages and protections for many Americans. They can also have serious consequences for scientific progress. And as some political experts have suggested, the poorly targeted cuts can increase ineffectiveness and waste down.

Health and science in a big budget agency

HHS is responsible for providing a Variety of public health and social services as well as the promotion of scientific progress.

Initially established as the Ministry of Health, Education and Well-Being in 1953, HHS saw substantial growth and transformation over time. Today, HHS is home 28 divisions. Some of them are well known to many Americans, such as the National Health InstitutesTHE Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Others, like the Center for denominational and neighborhood partnerships and the Administration for community lifecan fly under the radar for most people.

With an annual budget of approximately $ 1.8 billionHHS is one of the greatest federal expenses, Accounting of more than $ 1 out of 5 of the federal budget.

Under the Biden administration, the HHS budget increased almost 40%, with an increase of 17% of the endowment. However, 85% of this money is spent on 79 million Medicaid And 68 million health insurance beneficiaries. In other words, most HHS expenses go directly to many Americans in the form of health benefits.

A new Department for Health and Human Services

From the point of view of politics, the changes initiated into HHS by the Trump administration of the second mandate are large. They involve both personnel cuts and substantial reorganization.

Before the announcement of March 27, the administration had already reduced thousands of HHS posts by Letting go of probationary employees And Redeem So that employees will leave voluntarily.

Now HHS is expected to lose 10,000 other workers. The latest cuts Concentrate the most on a handful of agencies. The FDA will lose 3,500 additional employees and the NIH will lose 1,200. The CDC, where the cuts are the steepest, will lose 2,400 positions.

In all, the movements will reduce HHS labor by around 25%, From more than 82,000 to 62,000. These changes will provide savings of approximately $ 1.8 billion, or 0.1% of the HHS budget.

With these cuts comes a major reorganization This will eliminate 13 offices and agencies out of 28, close five of the 10 regional offices, reshuffle the existing divisions and establish a new division called Administration for healthy America.

In his latest message, Kennedy noted that this HHS transformation would return the agency to its basic mission: has “Improve the health and well-being of all Americans». He also announced his intention to refocus HHS on his Make America priorities healthyinvolved reduce chronic disease “By focusing on safe and healthy foods, clean water and the elimination of environmental toxins.”

How HHS’s new reality will affect Americans

Kennedy said that the hhs overhaul will not affect American services. Given the scale of the cuts, it seems unlikely.

HHS reaches the life of all Americans. Many have family members on Medicaid or Medicare, or know disabled people or those who treated consumption of substances. Disasters can hit anywhere. Bird flu And Epidemics of measles take place in many parts of the country. Everyone is based on access to safe food, medicines and vaccines.

In his announcement, the Secretary of Health Cups highlighted in HHS support functionsLike information technologies and human resources, such as a means of reducing redundancies and ineffectiveness. But the reduction and reorganization of these capacities inevitably have implications To find out how HHS employees can fulfill their functions – at least temporarily. Kennedy recognized him as a “painful periodFor HHS.

However, large -scale reductions and reorganizations inevitably lead to more systemic disturbances, delays and denial. It seems incredible that Americans looking for access to health care, help prevention of HIV or early education services such as Head Start, which are also administered by HHS, will not be affected. This is particularly the case during the design quickly and without transparent long -term planning.

These new cuts are also still exacerbated by the previous slashs of the administration to Public health financing for governments of states and premises. Given the crucial functions of HHS – from the health coverage of populations vulnerable to pandemic preparation and response – the American public Health Association predicts that the cuts will train An increase in sickness and death rates.

Already, the previous cuts at the FDA – the agency responsible for food and secure drugs – have led to Delays in product opinions.

Overall, the probability of Increase in access challenges for people looking for services or support as well as Less protection and longer waiting time seems high.

Fundamental remodeling of American public health

HHS restructuring should be considered in a broader context. Since arriving at the office, the Trump administration has agreedly sought to reshape the American public health program. This included Vast cuts to funding for research as well as funding for governments of states and premises. The most recent cuts of HHS are part of the mold of backtracking protections and remodeling of science.

The Trump administration has already announced its intention to reduce the affordable care law and backward regulations that deal All water specific to safe vaccines. State -based state -based programs were also targeted.

The research funded by the HHS was also dramaticallywith a long list of Projects completed in research fields lead Healthy disparities, women and LGBTQ Health problems, COVID-19 and LONG COVVI,, vaccination And more.

The reorganization of HHS also reorganizes two bodies in the HHS, the Office of the Deputy Planning and Evaluation Secretary and the Agency for research and quality of health carewhich contribute to improving American health care and providing political research. This change further decreases the probability that health policy will be based on scientific evidence and increases the risk of more politicized health decision -making.

No more cuts are probably still to come. Medicaid, the program providing Low -income health coveragewill be a particular target. The House of Representatives adopted a budgetary resolution on February 25 which allows up to $ 880 billion in cuts to the program.

All in all, the plans already announced and those that should emerge in the future considerably modify American health policy and make substantial protections back for Americans.

A vision of deregulation

Regulation has become the most prolific source of Policies in the past five decadesespecially for health policy. Given its vast responsibilities, HHS is one of the most prolific regulators of the federal government. Vast cups on HHS workforce will probably restrict this abilityresulting in less regulatory protections for Americans.

At the same time, with fewer experienced administrators on staff, Industry influence on regulatory decisions probably will only be strengthened. HHS will simply lack the expertise of substances and procedure to act independently. More influence of industry and fewer independent regulators to counter it Disparities and poorly served populations.

In the end, the efforts of the Trump administration can lead to a very different health policy – with fewer advantages, services and protections – than the Americans have used modern times.