AAMC Washington Highlights - October 5, 2001: House Subcommittee Marks Up FY 2002 Labor-HHS Appropriation

October 5, 2001

House Subcommittee Marks Up FY 2002 Labor-HHS Appropriation

The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee completed its FY 2002 mark-up on October 3. Overall, the bill provides $123.1 billion for FY 2002, an increase of $11.2 billion (10 percent) over last year and $6.8 billion more than the President's request.

For NIH, the subcommittee provided $22.875 billion, an increase of $2.580 billion (12.7 percent) over FY 2001. However, subcommittee documents indicate that the "evaluation tap" - the amount of money deducted from NIH to pay for evaluation studies at other PHS agencies - will be $210.8 million in FY 2002, an increase of nearly $17 million over last year. The subcommittee transferred another $100 million to the Global HIV/AIDS Fund, which leaves a program level of $22.564 billion, a $2.463 billion (12.3 percent) increase over last year.

The Administration had requested $23.042 billion for NIH, a $2.747 billion (13.5 percent) increase over FY 2001, but had also proposed $478 million in evaluation and HIV/AIDS transfers to arrive at the same $22.564 billion program level provided by the House subcommittee.

For the Title VII and VIII health professions programs, the subcommittee included a total of $385 million, a $32.1 million (9.1 percent) increase over last year. Funding for major health professions programs of interest includes:

training for diversity - $117 million, an $8 million (7.3 percent) increase;

primary care, medicine and dentistry training - $95 million, a $4 million (4.4 percent) increase;

Area Health Education Centers - $33.4 million, no increase;

Health Education Training Centers - $4.4 million, no increase;

geriatric programs - $22.4 million, a $10 million (80.6 percent) increase;

rural training programs - $6 million, no increase;

workforce information and analysis - $824,000, no increase;

public health workforce development - $12.7 million, a $2 million (18.7 percent) increase; and

Title VIII nursing programs - $83.5 million, for a $7 million (9.1 percent) increase.

In addition, the subcommittee appropriated $285 million for children's hospitals graduate medical education, a $50 million (21.3 percent) increase.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality received $306 million, the same level as the president's request and a $36.5 million (13.5 percent) increase over FY 2001. The House directly appropriated $165.8 million, with the remaining $165.5 million to be transferred from other Public Health Service agencies. This direct appropriation is $63.6 million (62.2 percent) above what was appropriated last year.

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) was allocated a total of $142.5 million, an increase of $13.1 million over FY 2001. This includes $42.5 million for Field Placements, a $1 million (2.5 percent) increase over last year, and $100 million for Recruitment, an increase of $12.1 million (13.7 percent).

The Rural Health Outreach programs received $51.9 million, a $6.3 million (10.9 percent) cut below FY 2001 levels, and the Rural Health Research program was cut by $1.3 million (10 percent) to $12.1 million. Telehealth funding was also decreased, by $8.4 million (23.3 percent) to $27.6 million. Ryan White AIDS programs received a $112 million (6.2 percent) increase to $1.92 billion.

The subcommittee appropriated $3.132 billion for SAMHSA, an increase of $168 million (5.7 percent).

The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill on Oct. 9, with floor action shortly thereafter. The Senate Labor-HHS Subcommittee is tentatively scheduled to mark up the bill on Oct. 10.

Information: Dave Moore (NIH), Erica Froyd (Health Professions, AHRQ) or Jonathan Fishburn (NIH, NHSC), AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.