Stimulus Has Billions for Texas Medicaid

Texas will receive $5.45 billion for Medicaid through the first quarter of 2011 from the $789 billion economic stimulus bill Congress sent to President Obama, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The bill allocates $86.6 billion for state Medicaid programs over 27 months.

The Medicaid money is only a small part of the funds earmarked for health care. Here's a rundown of what's in the bill for medicine:

  • $1 billion for prevention and wellness programs to fight preventable diseases and conditions with evidence-based strategies. Of this amount, $400 million goes to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Section 317 immunization programs. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) will distribute the remaining $600 million for evidence-based clinical and community wellness strategies and public health workforce development activities. 
  • $8.5 billion for biomedical research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and stem cells, and $1.5 billion to improve National Institutes of Health (NIH) facilities.
  • $1.1 billion to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH, and HHS to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.
  • $500 million for community health centers under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
  • $500 million for health professions training under HRSA. Of this, $300 million is for the National Health Service Corps.
  • $1.5 million to the Institute of Medicine for a report with recommendations for national priorities for clinical and community-based prevention and wellness activities.
  • $6.5 billion for the Department of Defense to build or improve health care facilities.
  • $1.2 billion for the Department of Veterans' Affairs to build or improve medical and long-term care facilities.

 

Action , Feb. 16, 2009

Last Updated On

January 06, 2020

Originally Published On

March 23, 2010

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