Heller gets health panel post

Rep. Dean Heller has added the House health subcommittee to his work list for the new Congress.

The appointment should give the Nevada Republican a higher profile on federal health matters as the GOP seeks to rewrite the overhaul legislation Congress passed last year.

The 14-member subcommittee oversees health care policies and funding, health research and aspects of health insurance.

It is a branch of the House Ways and Means Committee, where Heller sits on the tax-writing Select Revenue Measures subcommittee.

"This position will give Nevada a seat at the table and a stronger voice on health care legislation coming through Congress," Heller said in a statement.

Stephens Washington Bureau