Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2418 - Health Services Amendments of 1985

(House Rules)
(Waxman (D) California and Madigan (R) Illinois)

The Administration strongly opposes enactment of H.R. 2418 unless it is amended to:

— reauthorize, rather than repeal, the Primary Health Care Block Grant—an important reform enacted in the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act—and combine current authorities for community health, migrant health, family planning, and health services to coal miners into an expanded primary care block grant so that comprehensive care can be delivered to individuals in need, and

— reduce the excessive authorization levels for fiscal years 1986-88 that are $200 million above the comparable levels in the President's Budget and the Concurrent Budget Resolution.

Similar provisions to those contained in this bill were part of an omnibus health services bill which was vetoed by the President last year.