The House voted to terminate another piece of healthcare reform Wednesday, killing the Prevention and Public Health Fund that is currently scheduled to receive nearly $18 billion over the next few years, according to a report from The Hill.
The House vote arrived moments after the White House said President Obama would veto the bill if it were presented for his signature. H.R. 1217 passed in a 236-183 vote, with only four Democrats supporting it. Most Democrats argued that terminating the program would reduce access to preventive healthcare, increase healthcare costs later on and hurt jobs in the industry.
Republicans dismissed these arguments, calling the program a “slush fund” so nonspecific in law that HHS could use it for dubious purposes, such as signage or funding for elective abortions.
Read The Hill report on the Prevention and Public Health Fund.
Read more coverage on healthcare reform:
– President’s Speech Today May Propose Medicare Payment Changes
– Democrat Attorney General in Missouri Opposes Individual Mandate
