Health and human services costs are spiraling out of control. Our public-assisted health care programs are among the most generous in the nation. Some non-partisan researchers have told us that state income taxes would have to double every eight years just to keep up with current health care expenditures if we can’t figure out a way to reform the system and slow spending.

That’s why many of us were surprised to see this year’s HHS bill increase spending over time by more than 40%. More troubling was that the majority party chose to expand eligibility for our welfare programs while reducing work requirements.

The proposal weakens many welfare-to-work provisions that force able-bodied adults to look for a job and find one. It also looks to waive the job search requirement for the first year that immigrants are in America, and opposes increasing penalties for welfare abuse.

Amendments included using some welfare funds to give our long-term care facilities a greater funding increase in each of the next two years, giving the lowest paid rural nursing homes some immediate and needed financial assistance, and protecting some of the welfare reforms that are currently in place. These measures failed.

While it’s true that this bill does give nursing homes a raise over the next two years, the House had the opportunity – particularly with a $2.2 billion surplus – to do so much more for them over the biennium. Instead, the priority was placed on public-assisted healthcare and welfare programs, with no discussion on how to curb their rapidly escalating costs.