U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released detailed information on appropriations for the agency in the Obama Administration's 2011 budget. HHS says the proposed funding would be "critical investments" to protect the health and safety of Americans.

"Under this budget, we will provide the health and human services that Americans depend on more effectively, slashing waste and focusing programs on results. And we'll make many of the necessary investments our country has been putting off for years, including investments in fighting health care fraud, strengthening our public health infrastructure, and getting serious about health and wellness," Sebelius stated in a press release. "This budget is a big step toward a healthier, stronger America."

"There is no question that the hard-working people of this country have been tested over the last few years," added Sebelius. "In his State of the Union Address, President Obama urged Americans to rise to the challenges posed by our current difficulties, and pledged that as a country we would face these challenges together. I believe this budget lives up to that commitment."
Some highlights of the proposed budget, as detailed in the HHS Budget in Brief--an overview of the budget and the initiatives it supports--include the following:

Reducing Fraud

--$561 million in discretionary resources to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid program integrity activities, including increasing Medicaid audits.

Quality and Access to Health Care

--$3.6 billion to strengthen the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Out of that amount, $110 million is earmarked for a new, comprehensive Health Care Data Improvement Initiative--to add state-of-the-art data analysis and information sharing to claims processing.

--$995 million to address the shortage of health care providers in underserved areas.

--$290 million for further expansions of health center services, including the creation of 25 new access points in communities without access to a health center.

--$78 million to accelerate health IT adoption and electronic health records (EHRs) utilization.

--$261 million investment in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to support new research projects in patient-centered health research.

Public Health

--$450 million from user fees to reduce tobacco use in minors by regulating marketing and distribution of tobacco products and promoting public health understanding of harm from tobacco products.

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