Federal Government Approves Health Agency Funding for Remainder of Fiscal Year 2012

Concluding a long, contentious stalemate, Congress approved a bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2012 on December 15. This bill includes funding for health agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill in the coming days. While the spending bill preserves ASPH priorities there is one major caveat, the Obama Administration has not confirmed how exactly it will allocate funds from the $1 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund that was established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Further, the bill reduces the maximum salary for which all Department of Health and Human Services grant recipients can be reimbursed. More...