GOP advances bill cutting $500M from HHS to attack ACA
TheHill
Overnight Healthcare
GOP advances bill cutting $500M from HHS
Senate appropriators on Tuesday advanced a $153.2 billion bill that chips away at ObamaCare, days before the Supreme Court is expected to rule on a key aspect of the healthcare law.
Under the measure, the Health, Labor and Education departments would receive $3.6 billion less than this year and a whopping $14.5 billion less than President Obama's request.
The funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, alone, would be slashed by half a billion dollars.
Republicans included language that would block funding for ObamaCare's federal risk corridor program which protects insurance companies from extremely high rates and block discretionary funding for state-based insurance exchanges.
"This year's Labor-HHS appropriations bill prioritizes programs that will provide a significant benefit to all Americans and, most importantly, provides the National Institutes of Health with a $2 billion increase to make critical life-saving medical treatments and high-quality cures available to all Americans," said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the bill.
His Democratic counterpart, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), said she is "deeply disappointed" with the legislation.
"While I appreciate Chairman Blunt's interest in increasing research investments, this bill would make deep cuts to middle class priorities like healthcare, education, job training, worker protection programs, women's health, and more.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would receive 28 percent less, or a $1.15 billion cut.
Murray said a cut of this magnitude would "cripple" the administration's ability to operate ObamaCare programs and manage the government's healthcare programs for seniors and the poor.
Read more here: http://thehill.com/policy/finance/245877-senate-gop-advances-bill-that-targets-obamacare
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