Department of Health and Human Services
HHS · FY2017–FY2026 budget trends
Protects the health of Americans through Medicare, Medicaid, the CDC, FDA, and NIH. Administers health insurance programs covering over 150 million people and funds biomedical research. HHS is the single largest grant-making agency in the federal government, funneling over $825 billion to hospitals, insurers, and state health programs.
💰 Taxpayer Accountability
The sheer scale of HHS spending makes meaningful oversight nearly impossible, and waste in Medicare and Medicaid remains a perennial concern. The Government Accountability Office has identified tens of billions in improper payments annually — money that goes out the door with little prospect of recovery.
Budget Authority (FY2026)
$2.6T
Total Contracts
$21.3B
Total Grants
$825.5B
Budget Growth (FY17→25)
+66.7%
+$809.9B
Contracts vs Grants
Budget Trend
Year-over-Year Changes
| FY | Budget | YoY | Obligated | YoY | Outlays | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $1.7T | — | $1.6T | — | $1.6T | — |
| 2018 | $1.8T | +4.5% | $1.7T | +2.0% | $1.6T | +2.0% |
| 2019 | $1.9T | +9.4% | $1.8T | +8.0% | $1.7T | +7.0% |
| 2020 | $2.4T | +26.8% | $2.2T | +21.2% | $2.1T | +19.2% |
| 2021 | $2.7T | +9.0% | $2.4T | +7.1% | $2.2T | +4.2% |
| 2022 | $2.7T | +2.8% | $2.5T | +4.1% | $2.4T | +10.1% |
| 2023 | $2.8T | +3.9% | $2.5T | +0.9% | $2.4T | +1.5% |
| 2024 | $2.9T | +0.8% | $2.5T | +1.7% | $2.5T | +2.1% |
| 2025 | $3.1T | +9.3% | $2.8T | +10.9% | $2.7T | +10.0% |
| 2026 | $2.6T | -17.5% | $700.0B | -74.9% | $697.6B | -74.4% |
How This Agency's Growth Compares
Department of Health and Human Services grew +66.7% from FY2017 to FY2025 — #7 growing of 18 major agencies.
| # | Agency | Growth % | Growth $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Energy | +154.4% | +$49.4B |
| 2 | Department of Homeland Security | +153.1% | +$44.4B |
| 3 | General Services Administration | +107.7% | +$12.9B |
| 4 | Department of Transportation | +97.4% | +$66.5B |
| 5 | Department of the Interior | +90.5% | +$8.8B |
| 6 | Department of State | +84.0% | +$16.2B |
| 7 | → Department of Health and Human Services | +66.7% | +$809.9B |
| 8 | Social Security Administration | +64.9% | +$643.6B |
| 9 | Department of Defense | +52.8% | +$173.1B |
| 10 | Department of Agriculture | +49.9% | +$61.7B |
| 11 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | +43.8% | +$23.7B |
| 12 | Department of Veterans Affairs | +41.7% | +$84.8B |
| 13 | Department of Education | +28.1% | +$21.1B |
| 14 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | +24.4% | +$4.5B |
| 15 | Railroad Retirement Board | +15.1% | +$1.9B |
| 16 | Department of Labor | +10.1% | +$1.1B |
| 17 | Department of Justice | -2.5% | -$292.0M |
| 18 | Agency for International Development | -26.6% | -$4.4B |
Top Contractors
| # | Contractor | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximus Federal Services, Inc. | $949.7M |
| 2 | General Dynamics Information Technology, Inc. | $839.3M |
| 3 | Leidos Biomedical Research Inc. | $559.6M |
| 4 | Deloitte Consulting LLP | $407.4M |
| 5 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | $391.8M |
| 6 | Palmetto Gba, LLC | $362.6M |
| 7 | Carahsoft Technology Corp. | $276.2M |
| 8 | National Government Services, Inc. | $261.1M |
| 9 | Noridian Healthcare Solutions, LLC | $236.1M |
| 10 | Alvogen, Inc. | $227.7M |
| 11 | Novitas Solutions, Inc. | $227.4M |
| 12 | Accenture Federal Services LLC | $225.3M |
| 13 | Research Triangle Institute | $215.9M |
| 14 | Companion Data Services LLC | $214.5M |
| 15 | Mckesson Corporation | $206.4M |
| 16 | Serco Inc. | $200.0M |
| 17 | Softrams LLC | $177.2M |
| 18 | Jaynes Corporation | $172.0M |
| 19 | Westat, Inc. | $157.7M |
| 20 | Emergent Product Development Gaithersburg Inc. | $152.4M |
Related Pages
Budget Functions
How federal spending is categorized by purpose and function.
Read more →Top Contractors
Which companies receive the most federal contract dollars.
Read more →Spending Explosion
How federal spending has grown dramatically since 2017.
Read more →Sub-Agencies
Detailed spending by sub-agencies and bureaus.
Read more →Source: USASpending.gov · U.S. Department of the Treasury