Low-Income Families Will Lose Resources Under Trump’s Health Budget
BY Josh Sager
The Department of Health and Human Services is looking at a 17.9% budget cut. Under the President Trump’s budget proposal, the department would receive its lowest level of funding in nearly two decades. As a result, medical professionals risk losing their jobs. Unfortunately, America’s low-income families will lose daily resources.
The Department of Health and Human Services includes 12 agencies that aim to improve health care services through research, developing guidelines, and improving delivery services. Their $610 million budget is largely awarded to other organizations through grants and contracts.
Services in the President’s budget reform:
More than a third of total budget cuts would affect the National Institute of Health. The leading medical research agency employs approximately ten thousand people. Its 2011 budget was $911 billion. It spans 27 separate institutes and centers covering 300 programs. It therefore employs registered nurses, pharmacists, doctors, instructors, and a wide ranging of administrative and support staff. As a result, salaries range from $30 to $250,000.
This budget excludes funding for Medicare and Medicaid benefits. Their budget totals about $1 trillion. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services employs approximately 6,000 employees. Salaries for staff, from therapists to doctors to nurse practitioners and data specialists, ranging from $30,000 to $200,000.
On The Cutting Block
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is proposed to be eliminated. This program allows low-income families to have heat in their homes during winter months. Budget for this year is just over $3 billion. Community outreach specialists, case managers, and family development coaches, plus administrative staff range in salaries from $25,000 to $90,000.
Missing In Action
There is no mention of certain major programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Head Start. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is the national program often referred to as “welfare”. It had a $17.35 billion budget in 2014. Meanwhile, Head Start is the program which supports families and develops children’s cognitive skills. It had a 2011 budget of $8.1 billion. Most noteworthy, the average Head Start teacher makes about $21,000 per year, approximately half the earnings of a public school teacher.
Proposed Funds Boost
The budget proposal would increase spending on substance-abuse services by $500 million. Consequently, it’s unclear where these funds would come from. Pundits believe the funds will come from the CDC. Currently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a $7 billion budget. Clinic managers, scientists, researchers, social workers, and nurses at the center ranging in salary from $40,000 to $100,000.
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