On February 4, 2002, President Bush proposed a fiscal year 2003 budget of $251.7 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This is a 16.2 percent decrease from the Agency's FY 2002 budget level of $300.4 million.
Because of the financial challenges facing the Federal budget and increased spending on bioterrorism and defense, AHRQ and other agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services are facing a cut in FY 2003.
The proposed FY 2003 budget earmarks new and continued funding for six important AHRQ programs:
patient safety research, the
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), the
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP),
Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP), the
Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study (CAHPS®), and the Current Population Survey.
Select for additional information on the proposed budget for these programs.
The magnitude of the cut, coupled with the earmarks for these programs, would have a dramatic effect on how we do business every day. If enacted, this proposed budget would mean that AHRQ would not be able to fund any new grants in FY 2003. In addition, existing grants (large or small) would be cut by 46 percent and existing contracts by 31 percent.
This is the first step in the process. We don't know what the final budget number will be. We are continuing to accept applications; please contact your project officer if you would like more information. Or, you can send an E-mail message to info@ahrq.gov.
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