Secretary Leavitt's Activity Archive

June 29, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt issues his Second Update Report (PDF) on Pandemic Planning.

"While we have accomplished much in a short period of time, the race we are in is not a sprint, but a marathon. In June, Congress passed the President’s FY 2007 emergency funding request of $2.3 billion to help achieve our pandemic preparedness goals. These funds, the second installment of the President’s request, will allow us to continue the essential work outlined here."

June 14, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt Issues his final Progress Report IV (PDF) on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

June 13, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt speaks at the Heritage Foundation in an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of welfare reform.
Transcript>>>>  Archived Webcast>>

May 22, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt, speaking to the World Health Organization about pandemic flu preparedness, said, "I ask this Assembly today to pledge with me to abide by four principles of pandemic preparedness: transparency, rapid reporting, data sharing, and scientific cooperation. If we do this, we will be more prepared today than we were yesterday, and more prepared tomorrow than we are today." More...

• Transcript as Delivered of U.S. Participation in the World Health Assembly (Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland)

 April 24, 2006
Major Accomplishments of the First Year

The significant activities of the Department from early 2005 to early 2006 are featured in the Major Accomplishments of the First Year.

• First Year Major Accomplishments  
  PDF - 123.92 KB)

 April 4, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt Issues his Progress Report III (PDF) on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.

The Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan is now three months old. In that short time, we have more than 27 million Medicare beneficiaries who have prescription drug coverage and are enjoying significant savings in their drug prescription costs. We are urging all seniors to sign-up before the May 15 deadline so that they do not pass up an average savings of $1,100 per person.

 March 13, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt issues his Update Report (PDF) on Pandemic Planning.

"President Bush asked Congress for $7.1 billion to fund preparations, and in December 2005 Congress appropriated $3.8 billion to help the Nation prepare. Of that, $3.3 billion was allocated to HHS. This report outlines how that funding is being used to help achieve HHS’s five primary objectives."

 February 22, 2006 - Secretary Leavitt Issues his Progress Report II (PDF) on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.

"We are now at the 53rd day since implementation of Medicare prescription drug coverage. After reviewing the numbers and experiences to date, I can report that we are seeing solid progress. But we are not done. We continue to work aggressively to solve the problems that inevitably occur in transitions this size."

February 6, 2006 - President Bush's budget for the Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2007 proposes total outlays of nearly $700 billion. That is an increase of more than $58 billion from 2006, or more than 9.1 percent. More...