The Washington Post reports that, “Last year, Obama used his budget to lay the groundwork for comprehensive health-care reform, proposing a 10-year $634 billion reserve fund as a “down payment” on universal coverage. This year’s blueprint does not include that money,” but administration sources say the new budget presumes a healthcare bill will be passed and lead to a $150 billion deficit reduction over the next 10 years.
The overall budget of $900 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services anticipates several minor changes. The Washington Post reports these changes: a $1 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, $1.6 billion more for child care and an additional $290 million for community health centers. Most of the budget goes to one mandatory program, Medicare for the elderly and disabled, which is expected to cost $489 billion next year, after recouping an anticipated $722 million in waste, fraud and abuse. States would receive $290 billion for another mandatory health program, Medicaid for the poor.
What do you think about the new budget?
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