Prevention Matters

The House has unveiled its version of the economic stimulus legislation, and the $825 billion package proposes spending $150 billion for health care - including $4 billion for preventive care.
Those figures don't include the expansion of SCHIP that the House has already approved.

The health-related totals don't suggest a major refocusing on prevention. Less than 5 percent of health care spending currently goes for prevention. Its share of the stimulus health spending would come to about 3.5 percent.