President Obama today signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at a ceremony in Denver. Representing the AHA at the signing ceremony was former AHA Board Chairman Kevin Lofton, president and CEO of Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives. Approved by Congress Friday, the legislation temporarily increases federal funding for Medicaid by nearly $87 billion and requires states to maintain current program eligibility. It also increases state disproportionate share hospital allotments by 2.5%, extends AHA-backed moratoria on certain Medicare and Medicaid regulations, and urges the Secretary of Health and Human Services not to promulgate Medicaid rules concerning cost-limits for public hospitals, graduate medical education and rehabilitative services. In addition, the Act provides subsidies to help the recently unemployed maintain COBRA coverage for up to nine months, and $19 billion through Medicare and Medicaid to help physicians and hospitals (including critical access hospitals) adopt health information technology. AHA members can view a detailed analysis of the Act's health care provisions at www.aha.org.