President signs economic bill to jumpstart healthcare reform
President Barack Obama signed the economic stimulus bill into law on Tuesday, estimated at $787 billion in tax cuts and spending during the next two years. Called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1), the law targets healthcare as one of the catalysts to renovate the U.S. economy.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes more than $100 billion in Medicaid adjustments and Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) subsidies for unemployed workers, according to Healthcare Finance News. The bill also includes $19 billion for health information technology integration.
The President will release details on the first budget proposal on Feb. 26, outlining the plan for the 2010 fiscal year, according to Reuters.
About the Author: Karen M. Cheung is the associate editor for HCPro, Inc., the healthcare compliance publisher, delivering news and information to the hospitalist market with products such as books, e-newsletters, seminars, and broadcast events.
Before arriving at HCPro, Karen served as the news editor for Reviewed.com (including DigitalCameraInfo.com and lead blogger for CamcorderInfo.com), providing unbiased tech reviews for the WashingtonPost.com. Having trained with The Washington Post photo department and earning a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, Karen has experience with news and commercial photography. During her time in D.C., she covered Capitol Hill and the White House for daily New England newspapers.
