We make more than 1,000 recommendations annually to help improve government. We alert department heads to the recommendations that can save the most money, address issues on our High Risk List, or significantly improve their operations. This report outlines our 55 priority open recommendations for HHS as of April 2020. For example, HHS should work with its interagency biodefense team to document...

According to the UN’s World Health Organization, tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. It kills over 8 million each year—almost three times the total deaths from tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. We reviewed U.S. global tobacco control efforts for 2015-2018. We found U.S. funding mainly supported research and surveillance—for example, tracking tobacco use. The D...

The Zika virus appeared in the Western Hemisphere in May 2015 and spread to many countries in less than a year. Zika can have mild or unnoticed symptoms, but it can also cause severe birth defects. In response, USAID supported a range of activities overseas, including mosquito control, public awareness, and research. However, USAID didn't track Zika funding by country and took longer than desired...

The 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa disrupted the region's health systems, job markets, and food supplies. Congress appropriated funds to USAID and State for Ebola response and preparedness. USAID and, to a lesser extent, State used some funds for Ebola recovery projects. We reported on the status of USAID's recovery projects. USAID had completed 62 of its 131 projects, as of September 20...

In the 3-year period we examined, federal agencies obligated about $27 billion in funding to organizations that provide preventive, reproductive, and diagnostic health care services in the United States or abroad. These include: federally qualified health centers, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Marie Stopes International, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Most of the...

West Africa experienced the largest Ebola outbreak in the history of the virus, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths as of June 2016. In response to the outbreak, the U.S. Agency for International Development began funding a range of activities to control the virus's spread and strengthen global health security. Congress later provided billions of dollars to support and reimburse these efforts, a...

Peace Corps and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) both provide health benefits through workers' compensation programs. Peace Corps provides benefits to returned Peace Corps volunteers who sustain illnesses or injuries connected to their Peace Corps service under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program administered by the Department of Labor (DOL). USAID provides...

U.S.-funded global health programs have put regulatory and policy requirements in place to help prevent procurement of substandard drugs. USAID, for example, reviews quality assurance information for all drugs before they are procured. Specifically, USAID requires implementing partners to obtain written approval from the agency before purchasing drugs. Through its approval process, USAID determine...

The Department of State’s (State) Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have evaluated a wide variety of President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program activities, demonstrating a clear commitment to...

U.S. assistance through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has helped provide treatment, care, and prevention services overseas to millions affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2008, Congress reauthorized PEPFAR with the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (2008 Leadership Act). The act requir...