Thursday, January 22, 2009
Now that the banks and large corporations are already receiving their bailout money, attention is turning to the Obama/Democratic proposal for stimulating the economy. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats have submitted an $825 billion package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Package of 2009. $157.5 billion of the proposed spending is being directed to projects related to health care. Among the proposed expenditures in the field of healthcare are:
—$39 billion for COBRA, which allows recently laid-off workers to keep their group health insurance
—$20 billion to computerize health records
—$3.75 billion for construction of new health care facilities for the Department of Defense and another $455 million for renovations of similar facilities
—$3.5 billion to the National Institutes of Health, primarily for renovations
—$3 billion for preventive care and wellness programs
—$1.5 billion for renovations and expansions of community health centers
—$1.1 billion for “comparative effectiveness research” to be conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
—$950 million for repairs and renovations for health care facilities administered by the Department of Veteran Affairs
—$900 million for research into an experimental flu vaccine and countermeasures against potential chemical and biological attacks
What’s Inside the Stimulus Package for Healthcare? (by Jaime L. Hartman, OhMyGov!)
Economic Stimulus Package Includes $157B For Health Care (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report)
Congress, Obama Toil to Help Jobless Get Health Care (by Amy Goldstein, Washington Post)
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (House of Representatives) (PDF) (see pages 136-164)
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