Washington, D.C. – Today, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Health unanimously approved Councilmember David Catania’s (At-Large) fiscal year 2011 budget recommendations for the Departments of Health, Mental Health, and Healthcare Finance. All together, these departments account for more than $2.57 billion in District spending – nearly a third of the District’s budget. The vote occurred after weeks of budget hearings and deliberations, which included testimony from residents, advocates, providers, and government officials. At today’s budget mark-up, Catania, Chairman of the Health Committee, told other Committee members that his recommendation will continue expanding healthcare to uninsured residents despite the constraints posed by the current economy.
“It is no secret that this is a difficult budget year,” said Catania. “But despite declining revenues and increasing demand, I am pleased that this budget will continue our race to universal healthcare coverage in the District of Columbia.”
Recently, the Urban Institute released a study showing a 50 percent reduction in the percentage of uninsured District residents under Catania’s leadership, from 12.5 percent in 2005 to 6.2 percent in 2009. The study also showed a similar decline in the rate of uninsured District children, from 6.3 percent in 2005 to 3.2 percent in 2009. According to the study, the District is now ranked first in the nation for covering children and second for covering all individuals.
The District’s high rate of health coverage helped protect the District from significant reductions in the District’s healthcare budget. The recently passed healthcare legislation in Congress allows states to cover all individuals under 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit ($19,378 annually for a household of two). Currently, the District covers over 26,000 individuals with incomes below this limit, but who are not eligible for Medicaid, through the D.C. Healthcare Alliance. This District pays for this coverage with all local funds. Because the District can now upgrade these individuals to Medicaid, which is paid for with both federal (70 percent) and local (30 percent) funds, the District will enjoy significant savings for having already supported an expansive healthcare safety net.
“As District residents, we owe President Obama and the Democrats in Congress a huge debt of gratitude,” explained Catania. “We were big winners in healthcare reform because we have done the right thing for many years. The federal assistance that will supplant a substantial portion of our local funding for these individuals will help stave off drastic cuts in the District’s healthcare budget next year.”
