November is not just about football, leaves changing and Thanksgiving; in Washington, DC November means some heavy deadlines that could impact financial markets here and around the globe.
The Senate has one number: $165.3 billon and the House has another: $160.2 billion, or $5.1 billion less. With a big gap between the House and the Senate budget numbers for the labor, health and education funding, the negotiations for the fiscal year 2012 budget and a continuing resolution could be continuous.
ANA submitted testimony to the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies on Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 appropriations for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and Nurse-Managed Health Clinics.
On September 17, Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced new grants totaling $130.8 million to support the health professions. The largest portion, $50.5 million, is for equipment to train healthcare professionals at educational institutions which serve underserved and uninsured patients. Grants supporting family medicine, general internal medicine, pediatrics programs and physician assistants total $42.2 million. Oral health grants of $23.9 million for dental education and training include $4.3 million for 9 state programs for underserved areas (rural and urban).
In the midst of trying to pass historic healthcare reform legislation, both the House and Senate took time to vote on an omnibus package which would assure funding for government agencies to run the remainder of fiscal year 2010 (FY2010). On December 16, President Barack Obama signed the $447 billion omnibus package into law, which included nearly $500 million in funding for Title VII and Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs. This is more than 26% above the funding level in 2009. The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs received $244 million, a 42% increase ($73 million) over 2009 funding levels ($171 million).
On December 19, President Obama signed into law H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which contains a temporary pay freeze on Medicare Part B reimbursement rates for physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and other non-physician providers.
