President Joe Biden’s budget reiterates his calls to have Congress pass legislation allowing the federal government to negotiate for lower prices on drugs covered by Medicare; reducing deductibles in ACA plans; improving Medicare benefits to include dental, hearing and vision; creating a public option; lowering the Medicare eligibility age; and closing the Medicaid coverage gap in non-expansion states. The request doesn’t specify how much those policies would cost or how to pay for it. The president’s budget is mostly a messaging document that Congress is unlikely to pass in full. But it lays out his priorities for his time in office.
Here are some details:
- HHS would get $134 billion in discretionary funding, a 23{f771d91d784324d4be731abc64bffe0d1fd8f26504ceb311bcfd8e5b001778f4} increase over what Congress approved last year.
- $905 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile, a $200 million increase over 2020.
- $292 million for the Hospital Preparedness Program, an increase of $11 million from last year.