If you’re currently a Member of Altrua HealthShare or are considering becoming one, it’s always helpful to keep yourself up-to-date on changes to certain government services and policies when it comes to your health. While many of these changes don’t have a specific impact on your membership if you’re an Altrua HealthShare Member, these policy updates do include several of the government organizations that oversee national health emergencies and protocols. Because the focus of the Department and Health and Human Services is newly tasked under the current presidential administration to take steps to reverse our nation’s chronic disease epidemic, certain governmental departments and programs will experience changes to support this mission. Additionally, many of these changes are in an effort to reduce government spending on health programs by $1.8 billion.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says this about the changes: “We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic. This Department will do more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.” 1 These changes were formally announced at the end of March, 2025.

    • 🚨The CDC: The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response will now be part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This means that public health emergencies will now be strengthened by having Strategic Preparedness and response working through the CDC. Particular focuses will be on clean water initiatives, reduced environmental toxins, and healthier food.
    • 🥼New Position: A new position has been developed in Health and Human Services (HHS), the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement. The person in this position will be tasked with overseeing fraud prevention. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 3-10% of all health care expenditures are fraudulent. 2 This means that up to $100 million in taxpayer dollars are wasted each year on this fraudulent activity. Stronger scrutiny may bring in new reporting requirements and engagement with federal agencies.
    • 🩺Better Awareness and Options for Health Shares: Health and Human Services will be merging several agencies that oversee planning, evaluation, research, and quality. This will form a new Office of Strategy. This new office will delve into health policy research. This means there will possibly be a stronger emphasis on healthcare models like health shares. 3
    • 🏢Consolidation: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) currently has 28 divisions. Under the current administration, these divisions will be consolidated into 15 divisions and will include the development of a new division called Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
    • 🧓ACL: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) will undergo a reorganization to offer stronger services for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

    As with any healthcare approach, awareness of these changes and updates to governmental policy can help you make more informed decisions about your own health and choices. You can also go to resources like the CDC website and the HHS website for further information on these current initiatives.

    1 https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20aren%27t%20just%20reducing%20bureaucratic%20sprawl.%20We%20are%20realigning%20the%20organization%20with%20its%20core%20mission%20and%20our%20new%20priorities%20in%20reversing%20the%20chronic%20disease%20epidemic%2C%E2%80%9D%20HHS%20Secretary%20Robert%20F.%20Kennedy%2C%20Jr.%20said.%20%E2%80%9CThis%20Department%20will%20do%20more%20%E2%80%93%20a%20lot%20more%20%E2%80%93%20at%20a%20lower%20cost%20to%20the%20taxpayer.%E2%80%9D
    2 https://compliancy-group.com/fraud-waste-and-abuse-in-healthcare/#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,taxpayers%20over%20$100%20billion%20annually.
    3 https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-restructuring-doge.html#:~:text=Research%20and%20Evaluation%20for%20Health,the%20effectiveness%20of%20federal%20health