Comments on: CNN: Compromise Stimulus Bill Eliminates All $2 Billion of HIT Grants http://histalk2.com/2009/02/07/cnn-compromise-stimulus-bill-eliminates-all-2-billion-of-hit-grants/ Healthcare IT News and Opinion Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:50:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: James Hammer http://histalk2.com/2009/02/07/cnn-compromise-stimulus-bill-eliminates-all-2-billion-of-hit-grants/comment-page-1/#comment-3342 James Hammer Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:14:49 +0000 http://histalk2.com/2009/02/07/cnn-compromise-stimulus-bill-eliminates-all-2-billion-of-hit-grants/#comment-3342 Can someone explain where the healthcare IT stimulus money is earmarked for (besides hospitals), and who is going to decide how $$ are doled out? Can someone explain where the healthcare IT stimulus money is earmarked for (besides hospitals), and who is going to decide how $$ are doled out?

]]> By: BuckySlamBob http://histalk2.com/2009/02/07/cnn-compromise-stimulus-bill-eliminates-all-2-billion-of-hit-grants/comment-page-1/#comment-3340 BuckySlamBob Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:29:26 +0000 http://histalk2.com/2009/02/07/cnn-compromise-stimulus-bill-eliminates-all-2-billion-of-hit-grants/#comment-3340 CNN has it wrong from Robert Kolodner Actually, there was a $4B reduction in health IT - in two different sections of the bill - from the Senate's higher mark (which may have started as high as $26B total for health IT instead of the House's $20B). Peter is correct. Both CNN and WSJ were incorrect in their summary of the changes in health IT funding made in the Senate amendments on Friday. $2B was removed from the Senate APPROPRIATIONS Committee portion of the bill (Senate FINANCE Committee handles the CMS "mandatory" funding), but the reduction was from the original $5B amount in the Senate bill, leaving $3B, compared to the $2B in the House version that was passed. ** For the details, see line 433 in the spreadsheet on Senator Ben Nelson's web site - http://bennelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=307916 ** In the "mandatory" funding portion from Senate Finance (the much larger allocation), CMS funds in the Senate bill were reduced $2B down to $19B (compared to $18B in the House bill) by capping the amount that a critical access hospital can receive under the health IT provisions at $1.5 million per hospital. --Rob-- CNN has it wrong
from Robert Kolodner

Actually, there was a $4B reduction in health IT – in two different sections of the bill – from the Senate’s higher mark (which may have started as high as $26B total for health IT instead of the House’s $20B).

Peter is correct. Both CNN and WSJ were incorrect in their summary of the changes in health IT funding made in the Senate amendments on Friday.

$2B was removed from the Senate APPROPRIATIONS Committee portion of the bill (Senate FINANCE Committee handles the CMS “mandatory” funding), but the reduction was from the original $5B amount in the Senate bill, leaving $3B, compared to the $2B in the House version that was passed.

** For the details, see line 433 in the spreadsheet on Senator Ben Nelson’s web site – http://bennelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=307916 **

In the “mandatory” funding portion from Senate Finance (the much larger allocation), CMS funds in the Senate bill were reduced $2B down to $19B (compared to $18B in the House bill) by capping the amount that a critical access hospital can receive under the health IT provisions at $1.5 million per hospital.

–Rob–

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