HHS looks to boost messaging efforts

The Obama adminisration has made a concentrated effort in the past few months to promote the reform law’s popular consumer protections as Republicans try to repeal, defund and weaken the healthcare overhaul.

According to the budget document, some of the public affairs office’s responsibilities include:

• overseeing efforts to expand HHS’s transparency and public accountability efforts through improved communications;
• providing timely, accurate, consistent and comprehensive public health information to the public;
• serving the secretary in advising and preparing public communications and developing strategic plans for HHS;
• providing public affairs counsel in the HHS policymaking process;
• acting as the central HHS press office handling media requests and press releases;
• managing and maintaining the content of the HHS website and several departmental and governmental cross-agency websites such as healthcare.gov, flu.gov, foodsafety.gov, stopmedicarefraud.gov and AIDS.gov;
• overseeing and producing special events that highlight top HHS officials; and
• supporting television, Web and radio appearances for the secretary and top department officials.

HHS did not respond to a request for comment on this story.