Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the Senate Finance Committee on the President’s 2013 budget request. The request includes $76.4 billion for the department. That’s a $300 million increase over 2012.
Despite the increase, Secretary Sebelius says the budget reflects tough cuts that wouldn’t have been made but were necessary given the nation’s fiscal situation. She added that over ten years it will produce $360 billion in health savings, most of which will come from changes to Medicare and Medicaid. Sebelius emphasized that these changes were carefully crafted to protect beneficiaries.