Bipartisan hospital training bill soars through House panel

{mosads}Children’s hospitals rely on annual appropriations to help pay for their residents’ training because, unlike adult hospitals, they don’t get Medicare payments to cover those costs. The current five-year appropriation expires Sept. 30.

The Senate companion piece, sponsored by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), is scheduled for a markup in the Health Committee on Aug. 3.

President Obama recommended zeroing out the program in his proposed 2012 budget, saving about $330 million a year.

The subcommittee also approved two other bills.

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act would reauthorize for five years’ efforts to track vaccines and other public health countermeasures.

And the Synthetic Drug Control Act would add products that contain cannabimimetic agents and certain hallucinogenics to the list of Schedule I controlled substances.