Senate Appropriations Committee Releases Details Of Second Economic Stimulus Package With Health Care Provisions

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Public Health;  Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 01 Aug 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday released details of a draft of a second economic stimulus package that includes some provisions related to health care, CongressDaily reports (Sanchez, CongressDaily, 7/31). Among other provisions, the package includes:

• $570 million for nutrition programs;
  
  
• $792 million in loans and grants for rural community facilities, such as hospitals, clinics, health and safety vehicles and equipment, and adult and child care facilities;
  
  
• $500 million for NIH for grants for studies on cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and other diseases;
  
  
• $350 million to improve hospital care in Louisiana and Mississippi;
  
  
• $172 million for USDA to upgrade computer programs and implement the farm bill;
  
  
• $91 million to address public health and social services needs after natural disasters; and
  
  
• $26 million for CDC to treat infectious diseases (CQ Today, 7/30).

Committee Chair Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday said that he has worked with members of the committee "in the hopes of reaching an agreement to mark up" the package and that he hopes to move the package to the Senate floor in September. According to CQ Today, Republicans "have been less enthusiastic about the need for another supplemental" (Higa, CQ Today, 7/30). Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday said that the House likely will consider a second economic stimulus package in September (Bendery, Roll Call, 7/30).

AARP Recommendations
AARP this week in a letter to House leaders made recommendations on provisions to include in a second economic stimulus package, CQ HealthBeat reports. Among other provisions, AARP recommended additional funds for state Medicaid programs. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday endorsed most of the recommendations. She said that the package will include at least $50 billion in funds (Conlon/Young, CQ HealthBeat, 7/25).

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