House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) has unveiled the fiscal year 2014 omnibus appropriations bill, which would cut funding for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The measure appropriates part of the budget specified in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which provides $63 billion in sequestration relief — split evenly between defense and nondefense programs — by increasing discretionary spending limits in FY 2014 and 2015.
In addition to providing no new funding for the healthcare reform law, the bill would cut the Prevention and Public Health fund by $1 billion "to prevent the Secretary of HHS from raiding these funds for Obamacare exchanges," according to a news release from the committee.
The bill would also reduce funding for the Independent Payment Advisory Board — a Medicare cost-cutting panel established by the PPACA — by $10 million. The measure also would continue restrictions on using federal grant money to lobby in order to stop HHS from "directing taxpayer money to lobbying efforts for Obamacare," according to the committee.
The legislation includes $3.7 billion for CMS management and operations, the same amount established by sequestration cuts and $195 million less than the fiscal year 2013 enacted level.
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