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10 Facts About the Department of Human Services

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The Department of Human Services, which is officially known as the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), is one of the largest civilian departments in the U.S. government. How much do you know about it? Here are 10 basic facts.

It Gets One of Every Four Federal Dollars

The annual HHS budget accounts for nearly one out of every four federal dollars, or money borrowed from the Federal Reserve, states AllGov. This makes it one of the best funded government departments, and it gives out more grants than every other agency combined.

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It's America's Biggest Health Insurer

Medicare, which is administered by HHS, is the biggest health insurance provider in the US, with 25 percent of Americans on its books. reports AllGov. In fact, it handles more than a billion claims every year.

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Its Earliest Precursor Was Set Up in 1798

Various federal programs and agencies set up throughout U.S. history can be seen as the preamble to HHS. The earliest of these was an act passed in 1798 to provide assistance to sick or disabled seamen.

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It's Responsible for Food and Health Care

The HHS has a large amount of responsibilities. Some of them include the regulation of the food and pharmaceutical industries (FDA), the provision of health insurance (Medicare/Medicaid), the containment of disease (CDC) and the funding of medical research (NIH).

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Much of the Money Goes to Defense Contractors

Interestingly, a number of defense contractors are listed among HHS' biggest recipients of funding, according to AllGov. These include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, each of which has received more than a billion dollars since 2010.

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A Lot Goes to Big Pharma Too

The majority of the companies funded by HHS are in pharmaceuticals and related industries. Examples include GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Wyeth. Merck alone has received upwards of $2.3 billion since 2010, states AllGov.

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It Also Provides Grants for Research

In addition to its spending on drugs/biologicals and telecommunications/computer services, HHS also funds biomedical research and laboratory equipment. Since 2010, it has spent more than $6.8 billion on these.

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Regions One to Four Are Served by Offices in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Atlanta

There are 10 HHS Regions in the US, each served by a Regional Director. The Boston office serves Region One (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI and VT). The New York office serves Region Two (NJ and NY, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). The Philadelphia office serves Region Three (DE, MD, PA, VA and WV, as well as the District of Columbia). The Atlanta office serves Region Four (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC and TN).

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Regions Five to Seven Are Served by Offices in Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City

The Chicago office serves Region Five (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH and WI), and the Dallas office serves Region Six (AR, LA, NM, OK and TX). The Kansas City office serves Region Seven (IA, KS, MO and NE).

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Regions Eight to Ten Are Served by Offices in Denver, San Francisco and Seattle

Region Eight (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT and WY) is served by the office in Denver. The San Francisco office serves Region Nine, the largest region (AZ, CA, HI and NV, as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau). Region Ten (AK, ID, OR and WA) is served by the office in Seattle.

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