At the Department of Health and Human Services, our mission is to help provide the building blocks that Americans need to live healthy, successful lives. We fulfill that mission every day by providing millions of children, families, and seniors with access to high-quality health care, by helping people find jobs and parents find affordable child care, by keeping the food on Americans’ shelves safe and infectious diseases at bay, and by pushing the boundaries of how we diagnose and treat disease.
To achieve these goals, we must always keep an eye on the future – to prepare for the next public health emergency, to pursue the next lifesaving cure, and to support the development of the next generation of Americans. But we must also frequently look closer at old programs and existing services and ask: What needs to be changed? How can we serve Americans better? What can be done less expensively, faster and more transparently?
These priorities reflect both considerations – a clear-eyed view of the new investments we will need to meet the challenges and opportunities of a new decade, and a tough-minded assessment about how we can reform and refocus existing programs to make an even bigger difference in Americans’ lives.
Together, they form our vision for how our department can contribute to an even stronger, healthier, and more prosperous America in the years to come.