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Read. Follow. Verify.Overview of the Proposed 2020 Department of Health and Human Services Budget
Record date · January 1, 2019
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What This Bill Does
This document is a transcript from a 2019 House Budget Committee hearing regarding the proposed 2020 fiscal budget for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The hearing features testimony from Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan and outlines significant proposed funding reductions to federal health programs, research, and insurance coverage.
The proposed budget outlines potential multi-billion dollar reductions in federal health spending, including changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and NIH research funding, which would alter health care access and service availability for millions of Americans.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Medicaid recipients
The proposed shift to block grants or per-capita caps could alter the availability of services for low-income individuals, children, and seniors.
Medical researchers
The proposed $4.5 billion reduction to NIH funding would impact the resources available for research into diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.
Key Facts
- The proposed budget includes a $12.1 billion reduction in the HHS discretionary budget.
- The proposal includes a $4.5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research budget.
- The budget proposes a $1.4 trillion reduction in mandatory health care spending, specifically targeting Medicare and Medicaid.
- The proposal includes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
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- The budget proposes converting base Medicaid funding into a block grant or per-capita cap system.
- The proposal seeks to end the Medicaid expansion established under the ACA.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How would the proposed budget affect Medicaid?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceFull breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift in Medicaid Funding Model
The budget proposes a fundamental structural change from open-ended federal matching to a capped block grant or per-capita system.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance90How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment40Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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