WASHINGTON—An amendment, authored by U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), to appropriations legislation for the Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Departments will improve transparency at HHS as it implements the health care law. The Johanns amendment, which was included in the managers’ amendment during today’s Senate Appropriations Committee markup, requires the HHS Secretary to publish, as a part of this budget request, information detailing funds used to implement the health care law’s exchanges.
“With health care costs expected to skyrocket, and federal agencies claiming the sequester is forcing cuts to essential services, greater transparency is necessary to ensure government resources are being used wisely,” Johanns said. “Taxpayers deserve to know how Sec. Sebelius is spending their money. So far, this Administration has been less than transparent when it comes to promoting this flawed law, and my amendment will help fix that.”
Johanns also introduced the following amendments, which did not come up for a vote, that would:
- Prohibit HHS from transferring funds to other government agencies in order to promote or enforce the health care law, unless the Secretary can ensure that basic HHS services are being met;
- Ensure a proposed DOL rule would not compromise the affordability or options available to seniors and individuals with disabilities who receive care in the comfort of their own homes; and
- Reduce National Labor Relations Board funding to better reflect the board’s caseload, which has decreased by nearly 9 percent.
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