President Obama proposed today to “hold flat”
budgets for agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services in FY 2010, as the department has already received billions of additional dollars in Recovery Act money.
Obama is requesting $879 billion for HHS, including $78.4 billion in discretionary spending. The discretionary amount would be slightly less than the $78.5 billion the department received in FY 2009. The Recovery Act provided HHS with $44.3 billion in funds, including $22.4 billion in discretionary funds. Discretionary funds do not include funding of the entitlement portion of Medicaid because individuals receive the benefit because they meet eligibility requirements set by past legislation. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced during the Department’s budget briefing that the FY 2010 budget calls for HHS to receive $311 million to combat Medicaid and Medicare fraud to augment existing mandatory resources, such as the Medicaid Integrity Program. She stated that every additional dollar spent by HHS in fighting fraud will yield $1.55 in savings.
Other Highlights,State Grants and Demonstrations Include:
- $75 million for the Medicaid Integrity Program
- $584 million in HHS-wide emergency preparedness funding, including $276 million for pandemic flu preparedness
- $40 million for Home and Community Services Alternatives to Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities for Children
- $474 million for Money Follows the Person Demonstration
- $68 million for Ticket to Work Grant Programs (extending Medicaid benefits to individuals with disabilities obtaining work using the Ticket to Work program)
- $10 billion for the SCHIP program
- $3.2 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a decrease of $1.9 billion from FY 2009. The budget also proposes creating a new mandatory account that would increase funding for LIHEAP in response to spikes in energy prices, at a cost of $450 million
