Skip to main content
More than $800 million in increased spending for hospitals is included in the omnibus spending bill signed in late February by President Bush.

Bush signs funding bill giving more to hospitals

April 1, 2003

Bush signs funding bill giving more to hospitals

More than $800 million in increased spending for hospitals is included in the omnibus spending bill signed in late February by President Bush.

The legislation includes a $300 million increase from April 1 through Sept. 20 in Medicare payments for rural and "other urban" hospitals through equalization of the standardized rate. It also provides $518 million in bioterrorism preparedness funding for hospitals, $15 million in new funding for the Nurse Reinvestment Act, and $28 million in education incentives for medical schools to incorporate bioterrorism-related information in their curriculums.