Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
$161 Billion Health Spending Bill Approved By House Panel
The Hill: House Panel Clears Final Spending Bill
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a $161 billion health and labor spending bill, clearing its 12th and final annual appropriations package on the final day before recess. The health spending bill — typically one of the committee’s most contentious — is about a half-billion dollars shy of last year’s total. It’s nearly $3 billion below the levels requested by President Obama. (Ferris, 7/14)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
USA Today: Republicans Say Abortion Clinics Broke The Law By Selling Fetal Organs
Republicans on a special House panel investigating the practices of abortion providers said Thursday those providers and their middlemen have violated federal law by selling tissues and organs from aborted fetuses. In an interim report to Congress, the panel’s GOP majority said it has uncovered evidence that some providers were so eager to profit from selling fetal tissue that they altered abortion procedures to put financial benefit above the health of women. (Collins, 7/14)
Reuters: Senators Urge U.S. To Close Lead Testing Gaps, Citing Reuters Investigation
Some influential U.S. senators are urging a federal agency to take action to ensure more children are tested for lead poisoning, citing a Reuters investigation that found millions are missing required lead tests, leaving some vulnerable to lifelong health effects. In a three-page letter to be sent on Friday, U.S. senators including Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Deborah Stabenow of Michigan, all Democrats, called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to re-evaluate its lead screening policy for millions of Medicaid-eligible children. (Schneyer and Pell, 7/14)
