House Passes New Funding Bill; Here’s What It Means for Federal Health Agencies
Today, the U.S House of Representatives passed a federal spending bill that will fund the government through September 30, 2018. The bill offers several benefits and a few setbacks for the healthcare industry’s providers and payers.
Containing significant changes to those proposed by president Trump, it must still be passed by the Senate and signed by the president.
This summary article by senior editor Susan Morse for Healthcare Finance News gives us the healthcare highlights, including:
Funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to begin the transition to Cerner for its EHR
A funding increase of $10 billion for HHS
Unchanged flatline funding for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
An increase for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
No increase for insurers on cost-sharing reduction payments
A nearly 9 percent increase to $37.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health
An increase to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget of $1.1 billion for a total budget of $8.3 billion
Healthcare Finance News fills in the context and details with quotes from industry spokespeople.
Click ahead for the article >>