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Leahy Supports I.T. in Stimulus Bill
HDM Breaking News, December 22, 2008
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has sent a letter to President-elect Obama outlining Leahy's priorities for an economic stimulus package as Congress starts to draft the legislation. In the letter, he makes the case for federal funding to states for health information technology initiatives.
Leahy is chair of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee.
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"You have expressed a desire to invest in a transformation of our nation's health care system through health information technology," according to the letter. "I agree that this investment will have both short and long-range benefits to the health care of all Americans. Long-term cost cutting measures, such as the use of electronic medical records, can help stimulate the health care economy while providing important groundwork for a larger health care proposal in the near future.
"Federal funding to help states implement health information technology improvements will encourage needed modernization to health records and provide states the means to promote innovations in this area.
"Vermont has made important strides in advancing health information technology throughout the state to improve patient care and control costs. Vermont's program could be expanded quickly with additional federal funding, creating more jobs, and further improving patient outcomes."
Leahy also expressed support for federal funding to deploy broadband Internet connectivity in rural areas. He discussed his priorities for transportation; law enforcement and crime prevention; nutrition; small business assistance; energy efficiency; community redevelopment; affordable housing; Medicaid; school construction; and water infrastructure initiatives that the stimulus package could fund. For full text of the letter, click here.
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