American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Health Care

Purpose of ARRA

The overall goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) are to stimulate the economy in the short-term and invest in health care and other essential public services to ensure the long-term economic health of our nation. ARRA included $149 billion in health care spending, including $87 billion towards a temporary increase in the federal share of Medicaid costs. The remaining funds will be used to encourage health information technology and to provide funding to the National Institutes of Health and for community health centers. Specifically, ARRA provides for:

• $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health
• $2 billion for community health centers
• $1.1 billion for comparative effectiveness work force
• $500 million to expand the primary care work force
• $500 million to support renovations, HIT and health services for Indian Health
• $338 in specific Medicare spending