To provide a “template” or “place holder” for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Department of Community Health budget. This bill contains no appropriations, but may be amended at a later date to include them.   Official Text and Analysis.

To adopt a version of this budget that expresses the fiscal and policy preferences of the Republican-majority in the Senate on various spending items and programs.

To accept $1.530 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid eligibility under the terms of the federal health care law ("Obamacare"). The amendment would shift $181 million in current state health care spending onto the federal budget, making those funds available for other purposes in the short-term, but the terms of the expansion would require more money from State of Michigan taxpayers in a few years.

To spend an extra $5 million on government "health and wellness initiatives".

To add $5 million in spending on "mental health innovation" grants.

To add $78.6 million in spending on dental services subsidies in Waynem Oakland, Macomb and Kent Counties.

To strip out $1 million proposed for a program that promotes alternatives to abortion.

The Senate version of the Department Of Community Health budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2013. This would appropriate $15.035 billion in gross spending, compared to $15.029 billion the previous year. Of this, $9.904 billion is federal money. Most of this budget consists of Medicaid health care subsidies. Notably, the budget does not include $1.5 billion from the federal health care law’s expansion of Medicaid. This is by far the largest departmental budget in state government, although the school aid budget spends substantially more state tax and fee revenue (vs. federal money) .