The draft bill, unveiled July 12, outlines funding for the Department of Labor, the HHS and the Department of Education. The bill would provide HHS with $77.6 billion for fiscal year 2018, gutting it by $542 million compared to fiscal year 2017. The house proposal is $14.5 billion more than President Donald Trump’s request.
The House bill would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1.1 billion, providing a total of $35.2 billion to the agency.
“We are grateful to House appropriators for recognizing the vital importance of robust National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in this spending bill,” said Health IT Now Executive Director Joel White. “The legislation’s much-needed $1.1 billion increase in NIH funding will make great strides toward continued implementation of the Precision Medicine Initiative and other health IT priorities.”
The House budget would also reduce funding to the ONC, which Mr. White said would help the office “refocus on core priorities,” like interoperability and implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act.
“In recent years, ONC has extended its reach beyond its Congressionally defined parameters. It is past time for an honest assessment of the role that ONC plays in federal programs and in today’s marketplace. This funding sets the table for such a discussion,” Mr. White said.
In recent months, the coalition has been vocal about the role of the ONC, arguing the agency has overstepped its authority.
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