US Politics: Congress Passes Final Omnibus Spending Package for FY 2003
NAAOP
Description
Collection
Title:
US Politics: Congress Passes Final Omnibus Spending Package for FY 2003
Creator:
NAAOP
Date:
2/21/2003
Text:
Early in the morning on February 14, 2003, the House and the Senate agreed
to an omnibus appropriations bill that will fund the government for the
remaining months of Fiscal Year 2003. President Bush has stated that he
will sign the bill into law. The following memorandum encompasses only the
official summary and press reports available as of 12:00 p.m., Friday,
February 14, 2003.
The final 3,000 page bill was filed immediately before passage and will not
likely be available until Wednesday, February 19, 2003. Many members,
including the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bill Young
(R-FL), did not know all the provisions of the bill when it was voted on,
and many still do not know all the details as a final version has not been
distributed to all member offices. When the bill does become available, we
will immediately review it and report the information to you as soon as
possible.
Overall, the conference agreement on H. J. Res. 2 provides a total of $397.4
billion in discretionary funds for all non-defense activities, and $397.3
billion in mandatory funds.
The total includes a 0.65% across-the-board cut (applied to the FY 2003
spending levels) in most programs funded by the agreement, with the
exception of the Head Start program, the Veterans' Medical Care program, the
Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, and the space shuttle
program. The cut is largely to fund education spending increases. (The
numbers for specific agencies and programs given below do not reflect this
cut.)
Physician Fee Schedule
Of major interest to health care observers, the final bill includes
provisions that would increase payments to physicians under the Medicare
program, thus averting a scheduled 4.4 percent cut in payments effective
March 1, 2003. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects that this
correction would have the effect of replacing the reduction in Medicare
payment rates for 2003 with a 1.6% increase from 2002 rates. The provision
would also give CMS legal authority to correct future physician fee schedule
payments in the long-term, thus correcting prospectively the formula that
resulted in a 5.4 percent cut in physician fees in January 2002 and would
have resulted in similar cuts for 2003 and in future years. CBO estimates
that this provision would increase Medicare spending by $800 million in FY
2003 and by $54 billion over the next 10 years.
Rural Hospital Payments
Also with regard to health care authorizations in the omnibus, the bill also
includes provisions that temporarily increase Medicare payments to rural and
certain other hospitals to the level of payments made to large urban
hospitals. This increase is only authorized through September 30, 2003, the
end of the current fiscal year.
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
The agreement provides a total of $424.1 billion for the Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education departments and related agencies. This total
is $24 billion more than the FY 2002 level. Most of this increase, $17.8
billion, is mandatory entitlement spending. The agreement's total for these
departments and agencies is $1.6 billion more than the administration's
request. Compared to FY 2002, the agreement increases discretionary
spending for these departments by $6.2 billion (5%).
The following are the most specific numbers available from the Omnibus
Appropriations bill as passed:
National Institutes of Health - The agreement appropriates $27.2 billion in
FY 2003 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $3.8 billion (16%) more
than the FY 2002 level, but $10 million less than the administration's
request.
Centers for Disease Control - The agreement appropriates $4.3 billion for
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $67.5 million (2%) less than
the FY 2002 appropriations, but $322 million (8%) more than the
administration's request.
Visit our web site at www.oandp.com/naaop
Come share YOUR view! Government Relations is what WE do!
to an omnibus appropriations bill that will fund the government for the
remaining months of Fiscal Year 2003. President Bush has stated that he
will sign the bill into law. The following memorandum encompasses only the
official summary and press reports available as of 12:00 p.m., Friday,
February 14, 2003.
The final 3,000 page bill was filed immediately before passage and will not
likely be available until Wednesday, February 19, 2003. Many members,
including the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bill Young
(R-FL), did not know all the provisions of the bill when it was voted on,
and many still do not know all the details as a final version has not been
distributed to all member offices. When the bill does become available, we
will immediately review it and report the information to you as soon as
possible.
Overall, the conference agreement on H. J. Res. 2 provides a total of $397.4
billion in discretionary funds for all non-defense activities, and $397.3
billion in mandatory funds.
The total includes a 0.65% across-the-board cut (applied to the FY 2003
spending levels) in most programs funded by the agreement, with the
exception of the Head Start program, the Veterans' Medical Care program, the
Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program, and the space shuttle
program. The cut is largely to fund education spending increases. (The
numbers for specific agencies and programs given below do not reflect this
cut.)
Physician Fee Schedule
Of major interest to health care observers, the final bill includes
provisions that would increase payments to physicians under the Medicare
program, thus averting a scheduled 4.4 percent cut in payments effective
March 1, 2003. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) expects that this
correction would have the effect of replacing the reduction in Medicare
payment rates for 2003 with a 1.6% increase from 2002 rates. The provision
would also give CMS legal authority to correct future physician fee schedule
payments in the long-term, thus correcting prospectively the formula that
resulted in a 5.4 percent cut in physician fees in January 2002 and would
have resulted in similar cuts for 2003 and in future years. CBO estimates
that this provision would increase Medicare spending by $800 million in FY
2003 and by $54 billion over the next 10 years.
Rural Hospital Payments
Also with regard to health care authorizations in the omnibus, the bill also
includes provisions that temporarily increase Medicare payments to rural and
certain other hospitals to the level of payments made to large urban
hospitals. This increase is only authorized through September 30, 2003, the
end of the current fiscal year.
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations
The agreement provides a total of $424.1 billion for the Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education departments and related agencies. This total
is $24 billion more than the FY 2002 level. Most of this increase, $17.8
billion, is mandatory entitlement spending. The agreement's total for these
departments and agencies is $1.6 billion more than the administration's
request. Compared to FY 2002, the agreement increases discretionary
spending for these departments by $6.2 billion (5%).
The following are the most specific numbers available from the Omnibus
Appropriations bill as passed:
National Institutes of Health - The agreement appropriates $27.2 billion in
FY 2003 for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $3.8 billion (16%) more
than the FY 2002 level, but $10 million less than the administration's
request.
Centers for Disease Control - The agreement appropriates $4.3 billion for
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $67.5 million (2%) less than
the FY 2002 appropriations, but $322 million (8%) more than the
administration's request.
Visit our web site at www.oandp.com/naaop
Come share YOUR view! Government Relations is what WE do!
Citation
NAAOP, “US Politics: Congress Passes Final Omnibus Spending Package for FY 2003,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/220727.
