Today the Department of Health and Human Services announced a slew of upcoming changes. Here’s how they might affect the average American.
HHS Cuts: Here’s What They Mean for You
Published on Mar. 27, 2025
The Trump administration has been ushering in significant changes. As noted by Reuters, it’s paused potentially trillions of dollars in federal aid, announced a plan to get rid of FEMA, and eliminated government diversity programs. And the administration’s latest moves may affect the population’s health.
On Thursday, March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a slew of upcoming adjustments to the government and its many divisions. Since the details shared focus on staffing cuts and the consolidation of departments and their functions, you’d be forgiven for thinking these plans by the HHS may only impact government employees who’ve been laid off, fired, or transferred. However, these changes could affect the lives of a large chunk of the public.
Here’s how these moves might affect the average American:
1. Staffing cuts for HHS divisions like the FDA, CDC, and NIH may lead to the disruption or cancellation of potentially life-saving projects.
The HHS is consolidating 28 divisions to 15, closing five regional offices, and laying off 20,000 employees. The HHS claims these cuts will save $1.8 billion, but with lesser resources comes fewer projects—and fewer medical breakthroughs.
The journal Nature reports that the cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) will impact, in part:
- Covid-19 research
- Studies into climate change’s influence on human health
- Projects focused on the transgender population, gender identity, and vaccine hesitancy
Healthcare industry news site Medtech Dive notes that changes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could slow the approval for new food products, drugs, treatments, and medical devices.
2. More than half of the population may lose or encounter changes to their health insurance benefits.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) provides over 160 million Americans with health insurance, as it oversees Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Sources suggest cuts to this agency could lead to delays in medical care and, presumably, changes in eligibility requirements and healthcare coverage.
3. Some of the most vulnerable Americans may experience a delay to or the cancellation of health programs and services.
The HHS announced it will divide and reassign Administration for Community Living (ACL) programs to three separate divisions. The ACL provides programs and services like employment assistance, meal delivery, and transportation for the elderly, people with disabilities, and others in need.
Additionally, the newly formed Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) will consolidate:
- The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH)
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
In part, this will affect the Primary Care, Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, HIV/AIDS, and Workforce divisions.
Though the HHS didn’t advise Americans on how to handle these upcoming plans, people who depend on any of the above agencies and their respective programs should keep an eye out for changes to their coverage.
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