The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies released today its draft bill and summary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget. The $153 billion total appropriation for the three departments is about 14.5 billion (9 percent) lower than President Obama’s budget request. A total of $3.3 billion is marked for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is about $344 million below current funding.
The bill would provide $265 million for the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program, which is equal to the FY 2015 enacted level. Similarly, the bill would provide nearly $1.5 billion for community health centers, which is also the same as the FY 2015 enacted level.
More than $6 billion would be made available to the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is $299 million below the FY 2015 enacted level and $413 million below the president’s budget request. The use of any new discretionary funding to implement the Affordable Care Act would be prohibited.
The subcommittee will mark up the bill tomorrow.