HHS Proposes $689 Billion Budget for Fiscal Year 2007
2006.02.06: HHS Proposes $689 Billion Budget for Fiscal Year 2007
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt released today details of President Bush's FY 2007 budget request to Congress for the department, which meets the agency's most important priorities while exercising fiscal discipline to help meet the President's deficit reduction goals.
The budget unveiled today proposes $698 billion in spending, representing an increase of more than $58 billion from FY 2006, or more than 9.1 percent.
"We have developed a responsible budget for 2007 that sets out a hopeful agenda for the upcoming fiscal year, one that strengthens America against potential threats, heeds the call of compassion, follows wise fiscal stewardship and advances our nation's health," Secretary Leavitt said.
In FY 2007 HHS is requesting $4.4 billion for bioterrorism-related spending next year, which is a $178 million increase over FY 2006 spending.
In addition, the department is seeking an additional $2.6 billion in funding next year for pandemic planning and preparedness.
To continue our effort towards achieving the President's goal for most Americans to have secure personal electronic health records by 2014, the budget requests $169 million for health information technology initiatives, an increase of $59 million over FY 2006.
The budget provides an increase of $181 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund more than 300 new or expanded health center sites that will provide health care to an additional 1.2 million individuals in medically underserved communities throughout the nation.
Funding for Medicare benefits -- which assist 43.7 million Americans -- is estimated to be nearly $450 billion in FY 2007.
The budget also proposes specific reforms to help sustain Medicare in the long term.
Thus, the proposed 2007 HHS budget includes a comprehensive set of Medicare legislative proposals to encourage efficient and appropriate payment for services; foster competition; and promote beneficiary involvement in their health care decisions.
The budget proposes reductions in funding or elimination of several programs that have failed to receive acceptable performance ratings and whose purposes are covered by other HHS programs.
