Government

Government

Government is a source of free, high quality public health information. Agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publish information related to the various activities government is involved with.
  • Government pays for health – providing health insurance through programs like Medicare and Medicaid at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and in partnership with states and counties.
  • Government oversees health-related activities – monitoring providers and systems to ensure care is high quality via the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); regulating prescription medications through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Government promotes health – encouraging the public to engage in preventative care through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local health departments; promoting services for vulnerable and rural populations through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
  • Government researches health – funding studies through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that seek to cure disease and better understand health.
  • Government communicates about health – publishing free, high quality consumer health information in a variety of formats available through the National Library of Medicine (NLM), as well as through federal, state and county health agency sites. 
U.S. government personnel follow Federal Plain Language Guidelines – part of the Plain Writing Act – when creating public content to ensure communications are clear, understandable and actionable. Plain language and health literacy efforts are also taking place within some states and municipalities.

Take a self-guided tour of the Health Literacy Ecosystem

The Health Literacy Ecosystem offers an overview of the skills and knowledge, settings and sources, audiences, and communication formats that are foundational to our field. Navigate within and across spheres, or dive into a topic and connect to resources. We welcome your contributions.