Issue Category: Public Health Preparedness

TFAH Statement on the Draft House Republican Obamacare Replacement Bill: Our Nation’s Health Will Suffer

Washington, D.C., February 24, 2017 – The below is a statement from John Auerbach, president and CEO, of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).

“The draft House Republican Obamacare replacement bill—which would eliminate the Prevention and Public Health Fund—would threaten the health of American children, families and communities.

Thanks to the Prevention Fund, hundreds of thousands of Americans benefit from increased access to vaccines and other preventive health services. Quite simply, more people are getting and remaining healthy because of the Prevention Fund.

Yet, the proposed replacement bill would eliminate this important Fund and 12 percent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) budget along with it.

And, without the Prevention Fund, states will lose substantial sums of money—totaling as much as $3 billion over the next 5 years—which fight growing epidemics and emerging diseases.

Every year, we spend $3 trillion on healthcare, yet millions suffer from chronic diseases and death rates among Blacks and other people of color remain too high. At the same time, death rates among white middle-aged Americans increased for the first time in decades, mainly due to preventable conditions.

Time and again research shows that the vast majority of these conditions—heart disease, diabetes and others—can be prevented by investing in addressing the root causes. Yet, the country has repeatedly failed to do so.

The nation cannot afford to trade away our single best investment in preventing disease, preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks, reducing rates of chronic illness, and saving lives and money.

If this draft becomes law, our nation’s health will suffer—and it will be exponentially harder to fight growing epidemics, like the rise in prescription drug and heroin overdoses.”

 

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Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

CDC to Lose More than $5 Billion, States to Lose More than $3 Billion to Fight Health Epidemics over Five Years, if the ACA and Prevention and Public Health Fund are Repealed

Washington, D.C., January 17, 2017 – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would lose 12 percent of its annual budget if the Prevention and Public Health Fund, part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), were repealed, according to an analysis by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).

States would end up losing more than $3 billion over the next five years – from grants and programs supported by the Prevention Fund.

“CDC is the world’s leading public health authority and the front line against major threats to the health and well-being of the American people—such as disease outbreaks, prescription drug  misuse and diabetes,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of TFAH. “Losing the Prevention Fund would result in diminished support for public health in every state, undermining their ability to fight epidemics and keep people safe. The costs of these vital public health efforts will either be passed along to states or the efforts will be eliminated—resulting in more people becoming sick and higher healthcare costs.”

The $890 million gap in CDC’s annual funding created by eliminating the Prevention Fund could not be filled under current laws without drawing funds away from other Department of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services programs. Among activities supported directly by the Prevention Fund are grants to states for infectious disease control, resources through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant and other core public health programs which, if cut, would increase illness, injuries and preventable deaths.

If the Prevention Fund is eliminated, the impact will be felt at the local, state and federal levels as public health organizations respond to several major health crises that are on the rise, such as:

  • Health Security Funds for Disease Outbreaks, Disasters and Bioterrorism:  With the exception of the one-time-only funding for Ebola and Zika, the core funding for preparedness and response to health emergencies has been cut by more than one-third in the past decade. CDC has responded to more than 750 health emergencies in the past two years. Infectious diseases cost the country more than $120 billion per year, and that cost grows exponentially when major new diseases strike.
  • Prescription Painkiller and Heroin Use: Deaths from opioids have more than quadrupled in the past 15 years. Nationally, more than 2 million Americans misuse prescription drugs, and nearly a half million are addicted to heroin, costing the country more than $55 billion a year in healthcare, workplace and criminal justice spending. CDC plays a critical role by providing support to states and healthcare providers to monitor and control the inappropriate prescribing of opioids.
  • Obesity and Diabetes: Nearly 38 percent of adults are obese and more than one-third of children are overweight or obese, contributing to more than $200 billion in direct health costs. One in three children could develop diabetes in their lifetime, and one in four are not healthy enough to serve in the military by the ages of 17 to 24.
  • Declining Life Expectancy:  Life expectancy in the United States has declined for the first time in two decades. While death rates are higher among Blacks and other people of color, death rates have increased the fastest (by 10 percent since 1999) among middle-aged White men and women (ages 45 to 54). Increasing death rates among middle-aged Whites are the highest in West Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas. Amounts each state stands to lose over the next 5 years if the Prevention Fund was repealed (based on fiscal year 2016 grants to state)

State

Potential Five Year PPHF Loss, Based on FY 2016 Funding

Alabama

$44,867,115

Alaska

$22,312,985

Arizona

$46,840,075

Arkansas

$29,599,945

California

$307,768,530

Colorado

$44,671,845

Connecticut

$36,728,860

Delaware

$12,462,820

District of Columbia

$51,533,080

Florida

$101,864,250

Georgia

$100,421,755

Hawaii

$40,025,880

Idaho

$22,428,585

Illinois

$93,084,850

Indiana

$41,381,450

Iowa

$35,630,210

Kansas

$45,329,065

Kentucky

$40,687,570

Louisiana

$45,111,030

Maine

$27,588,000

Maryland

$84,876,045

Massachusetts

$88,112,505

Michigan

$110,739,075

Minnesota

$80,759,870

Mississippi

$31,276,855

Missouri

$53,853,865

Montana

$24,831,145

Nebraska

$47,957,625

Nevada

$19,174,580

New Hampshire

$24,967,020

New Jersey

$60,558,365

New Mexico

$43,257,135

New York

$207,587,230

North Carolina

$85,917,320

North Dakota

$14,975,550

Ohio

$114,951,125

Oklahoma

$46,585,755

Oregon

$46,462,400

Pennsylvania

$111,991,355

Rhode Island

$40,238,960

South Carolina

$56,576,525

South Dakota

$18,732,825

Tennessee

$67,537,910

Texas

$147,214,850

Utah

$49,396,510

Vermont

$14,637,565

Virginia

$77,104,520

Washington

$70,060,890

West Virginia

$22,669,320

Wisconsin

$64,120,145

Wyoming

$11,024,970

 Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. 

Survey Finds 73 Percent Support Investments to Improve Health; Obesity, Future Health of Children Top Concerns

Washington, D.C., January 19, 2017 —A new national survey of registered voters has found that nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of Americans support increasing investments to improve the health of communities.  Support spans across party lines (57 percent of Republicans, 87 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Independents) and regionally across the country (75 percent in the Northeast, 71 percent in the Central U.S., 72 percent in the South, and 75 percent in the West).  Women are the strongest proponents of supporting health improvement efforts (62 percent of Republican women, 87 percent of Democratic women and 80 percent of Independent women).

The survey, released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health, was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, in consultation with Bellweather Research, on September 8-9, 2016 of a nationwide sample of 1302 registered voters across the country.

A majority (51 percent) believe that today’s children will be less healthy than previous generations when they reach adulthood.  The groups who hold this belief most strongly include: Republicans (55 percent); rural residents (60 percent); Southerners (57 percent); Independent women (62 percent); and Black women (68 percent).  Most registered voters with children under age 18, however, believe their own children are very healthy (92 percent give an 8-10 rating on a 10-point scale); this is the case for parents of all ideologies, incomes, education levels, and ethnicities.

Additionally, 64 percent believe that the number of health issues facing the country has grown in recent years. Obesity is the top health concern (41 percent), cancer ranked second (33 percent), followed by heart disease and stroke (14 percent) and diabetes and substance misuse (both at 11 percent).

Americans also rate their own health better than the health of the community where they live (66 percent rate their own health as 8-10 (very good) on a 10 point scale, but only 36 percent rank their community’s health as very good).  There are differences based on income, age, education and area of the country on how people rank their health.  For instance:

  • 73 percent of college-educated Whites rank their health as very good compared to 57 percent of Whites without college degrees; and
  • 72 percent of individuals with a household income above $50,000 per year rank their health as very good compared to 59 percent of those with incomes below $50,000.

A majority of American registered voters also strongly support (rating 8-10 out of a 10 point scale) a range of priorities and strategies for improving health, including:

  • 74 percent of people highly support providing enough time — during the school day and afterschool – for kids’ physical education, physical activity or community sports;
  • 74 percent also highly support creating partnerships among farmers, food suppliers and community health groups to bring fresh produce trucks or mobile markets to communities that lack access to grocery stores;
  • 65 percent highly support providing kids with more information on making healthy food choices and being physically active;
  • 63 percent highly support investing more in preventing obesity and chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and stroke;
  • 62 percent highly support increasing early childhood health programs, including home visit programs, mobile health screenings and treatment for diseases like asthma;
  • 61 percent highly support investing more in preventing the spread of infectious diseases like the Zika virus, bird flu and hepatitis;
  • 60 percent highly support treating substance use, including addiction to prescription painkillers and heroin, like a disease, not a crime;
  • 60 percent highly support planning for building more parks, walking and biking trails and other recreation areas for people to be physically active in all communities;
  • 60 percent highly support increasing access to safe and affordable housing and routinely testing for things that create health problems in homes, like lead in water and paint, carbon monoxide, and harmful chemicals in the air;
  • 59 percent highly support increasing incentives that encourage business owners to open grocery stores in communities that lack access to healthy food options; and
  • 58 percent highly support building local partnerships across businesses, health systems, schools and community organizations to address specific health problems in communities.

Methodology:  On behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, in consultation with Bellwether Research, conducted a survey among 1,320 registered voters nationwide (1,019 weighted). The survey was conducted between September 8th and 19th, 2016. Voters were randomly selected from a list of registered voters and reached on a landline or cell phone depending on the number they designated on their voter registration. Interviews were conducted by live telephone interviewers; 50 percent were reached on a cell phone. Included in the sample were three oversamples: 100 Black voters, 100 Hispanic voters, and 100 White non-college voters. Upon completion of the survey, the results were weighted to bring the three oversamples into line with the racial and ethnic composition of registered voters nationwide. The data was weighted to reflect the total population of registered voters, taking into account regional and demographic characteristics according to known census estimates and voter file projections. The data are subject to a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.  Full survey and topline results are available upon request.

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter atwww.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook. 

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Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

Majority of States Score 6 or Lower Out of 10 Indicators in Report on Health Emergency Preparedness

Washington, D.C., December 20, 2016 – In Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, 26 states and Washington, D.C. scored a six or lower on 10 key indicators of public health preparedness.

The report, issued by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), found that the nation is often caught off guard when a new threat arises, such a Zika or the Ebola outbreak or bioterrorist threat, which then requires diverting attention and resources away from other priorities.

In the report, Alaska and Idaho scored lowest at 3 out of 10, and Massachusetts scored the highest at 10 out of 10, with North Carolina and Washington State scoring 9’s.

“Health emergencies can quickly disrupt, derail and divert resources from other ongoing priorities and efforts from across the government,” said Rich Hamburg, interim president and CEO, TFAH.  “Many areas of progress that were made after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks to improve health security have been undercut.  We aren’t adequately maintaining a strong and steady defense, leaving us unnecessarily vulnerable when new threats arise.”

Ready or Not? examines the nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies, tracks progress and vulnerabilities, and includes a review of state and federal public health preparedness policies.  Some key findings include:

  • 26 states increased or maintained funding for public health from Fiscal Year (FY) 2014-2015 to FY 2015-2016.
  • Just 10 states vaccinated at least half of their population (ages 6 months and older) against the seasonal flu during the 2015-2016 flu season (from July 2015 to May 2016).
  • 45 states and Washington, D.C. increased the speed of DNA fingerprinting using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) testing for all reported cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157, a measure of a state’s ability to detect foodborne outbreaks.
  • 10 states have a formal access program or a program in progress for getting private sector healthcare staff and supplies into restricted areas during a disaster.
  • 30 states and Washington, D.C. met or exceeded the overall national average score (6.7) of the National Health Security Preparedness Index™ (as of 2016).
  • 32 states and Washington, D.C. received a grade of C or above in States at Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card, a national assessment of state-level preparedness for climate change-related threats – which have an impact on human health.

In addition, the report examined trends in public health preparedness over the last 15 years, finding successes and ongoing concerns.

  • One-third of funds for health security and half of funds for healthcare system preparedness have been cut:  Health emergency preparedness funding for states has been cut from $940 million in fiscal year (FY) 2002 to $660 million in FY 2016; and healthcare system preparedness funding for states has been cut by more than half since FY 2005 – down to $255 million.
  • Some major areas of accomplishment:  Improved emergency operations, communication and coordination; support for the Strategic National Stockpile and the ability to distribute medicines and vaccines during crises; major upgrades in public health labs and foodborne illness detection capabilities; and improvements in legal and liability protections during emergencies.
  • Some major ongoing gaps: Lack of a coordinated, interoperable, near real-time biosurveillance system; insufficient support for research and development of new medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to keep pace with modern threats; gaps in the ability of the healthcare system to care for a mass influx of patients during a major outbreak or attack; and cuts to the public health workforce across states.

The Ready or Not? report provides a series of recommendations that address many of the major gaps in emergency health preparedness, including:

  • Requiring strong, consistent baseline public health Foundational Capabilities in regions, states and communities—so that everyone is protected.
  • Ensuring stable, sufficient health emergency preparedness funding to maintain a standing set of foundational capabilities alongside a complementary Public Health Emergency Fund which would provide immediate surge funding during an emergency.
  • Improving federal leadership before, during and after disasters – including at the White House level.
  • Recruiting and training a next generation public health workforce with expert scientific abilities to harness and use technological advances along with critical thinking and management skills to serve as the Chief Health Strategist for a community.
  • Reconsidering health system preparedness for new threats and mass outbreaks by developing stronger coalitions and partnerships among providers, hospitals, insurance providers, pharmaceutical and health equipment businesses, emergency management, and public health agencies.
  • Prioritizing efforts to address one of the most serious threats to human health by expanding efforts to stop Superbugs and antibiotic resistance.
  • Improving rates of vaccinations for children and adults – which are one of the most effective public health tools against many infectious diseases.

Ready or Not? was released annually from 2003-2012, and more recently, TFAH has released Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases, from 2013-2015. The report was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

Score Summary: 

A full list of all of the indicators and scores and the full report are available on TFAH’s website.  For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator.  Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest.  The data for the indicators are from publicly available sources or were provided from public officials.

10 out of 10: Massachusetts

9 out of 10: North Carolina and Washington

8 out of 10: California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia

7 out of 10: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin

6 out of 10: Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont

5 out of 10: Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia

4 out of 10: Nevada and Wyoming

3 out of 10: Alaska and Idaho

 

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 Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

Ready or Not?

«state» Scored «score_upper» out of 10 on Key Indicators Related to Preventing, Detecting, Diagnosing and Responding to Outbreaks

Report Finds the Nation Often Caught Off Guard when a New Threat Emerges

Washington, D.C., December 20, 2016 – A report released today by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) finds «state» scored «score_lower» out of 10 on key indicators of public health preparedness.

In Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, 26 states and Washington, D.C. scored a six or lower on 10. Alaska and Idaho scored lowest at 3 out of 10, and Massachusetts scored the highest at 10 out of 10, with North Carolina and Washington State scoring 9’s.

The report found that the nation is often caught off guard when a new threat arises, such a Zika or the Ebola outbreak or bioterrorist threat, which then requires diverting attention and resources away from other priorities.

“Health emergencies can quickly disrupt, derail and divert resources from other ongoing priorities and efforts from across the government,” said Rich Hamburg, interim president and CEO, TFAH.  “Many areas of progress that were made after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks to improve health security have been undercut.  We aren’t adequately maintaining a strong and steady defense, leaving us unnecessarily vulnerable when new threats arise.”

Ready or Not? examines the nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies, tracks progress and vulnerabilities, and includes a review of state and federal public health preparedness policies.  Some key «state» findings include:

No. Indicator «state» Number of States Receiving Points
A “Y” means the state received a point for that indicator
1 Public Health Funding Commitment: State increased or maintained funding for public health from FY 2014 to FY 2015 and
FY 2015 to FY 2016.		 «phfc» 26
2 National Health Security Preparedness Index: State met or exceeded the overall national average score (6.7) of the National Health Security Preparedness IndexTM, as of 2016. «nhspi» 30 + D.C.
3 Public Health Accreditation: State had at least one accredited public health department. «pha» 43 + D.C.
4 Flu Vaccination Rate: State vaccinated at least half of their population (ages 6 months and older) for the seasonal flu from Fall 2015 to Spring 2016. «fvr» 10
5 Climate Change Readiness: State received a grade of C or above in States at Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card. «ccr» 32 + D.C.
6 Food Safety: State increased the speed of DNA fingerprinting using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) testing for all reported cases of E. coli. «fs» 45 + D.C.
7 Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs): State implemented all four recommended activities to build capacity for HAI prevention. «rhai» 35 + D.C.
8 Public Health Laboratories: State public health laboratory provided biosafety training and/or provided information about biosafety training courses for sentinel clinical labs (from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016). «phl_train» 44
9 Public Health Laboratories: State public health laboratories reported having a biosafety professional on staff (from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016). «phl_staff» 47 + D.C.
10 Emergency Healthcare Access: State has a formal access program or a program in progress for getting private sector healthcare staff and supplies into restricted areas during a disaster. «eha» 10
Total «score_num»

In addition, the report examined trends in public health preparedness over the last 15 years, finding successes and ongoing concerns.

  • One-third of funds for health security and half of funds for healthcare system preparedness have been cut: Health emergency preparedness funding for states has been cut from $940 million in fiscal year (FY) 2002 to $660 million in FY 2016; and healthcare system preparedness funding for states has been cut by more than half since FY 2005 – down to $255 million.
  • Some major areas of accomplishment: Improved emergency operations, communication and coordination; support for the Strategic National Stockpile and the ability to distribute medicines and vaccines during crises; major upgrades in public health labs and foodborne illness detection capabilities; and improvements in legal and liability protections during emergencies.
  • Some major ongoing gaps: Lack of a coordinated, interoperable, near real-time biosurveillance system; insufficient support for research and development of new medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to keep pace with modern threats; gaps in the ability of the healthcare system to care for a mass influx of patients during a major outbreak or attack; and cuts to the public health workforce across states.

The Ready or Not? report provides a series of recommendations that address many of the major gaps in emergency health preparedness, including:

  • Requiring strong, consistent baseline public health Foundational Capabilities in regions, states and communities-so that everyone is protected.
  • Ensuring stable, sufficient health emergency preparedness funding to maintain a standing set of foundational capabilities alongside a complementary Public Health Emergency Fund which would provide immediate surge funding during an emergency.
  • Improving federal leadership before, during and after disasters – including at the White House level.
  • Recruiting and training a next generation public health workforce with expert scientific abilities to harness and use technological advances along with critical thinking and management skills to serve as the Chief Health Strategist for a community.
  • Reconsidering health system preparedness for new threats and mass outbreaks by developing stronger coalitions and partnerships among providers, hospitals, insurance providers, pharmaceutical and health equipment businesses, emergency management, and public health agencies.
  • Prioritizing efforts to address one of the most serious threats to human health by expanding efforts to stop Superbugs and antibiotic resistance.
  • Improving rates of vaccinations for children and adults – which are one of the most effective public health tools against many infectious diseases.

Ready or Not? was released annually from 2003-2012, and more recently, TFAH has released Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases, from 2013-2015. The report was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and is available on TFAH’s website at www.healthyamericans.org.

Score Summary:

A full list of all of the indicators and scores and the full report are available on TFAH’s website.  For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator.  Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest.  The data for the indicators are from publicly available sources or were provided from public officials.

  • 10 out of 10: Massachusetts
  • 9 out of 10: North Carolina and Washington
  • 8 out of 10: California, Connecticut, Iowa, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia
  • 7 out of 10: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin
  • 6 out of 10: Arizona, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont
  • 5 out of 10: Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and West Virginia
  • 4 out of 10: Nevada and Wyoming
  • 3 out of 10: Alaska and Idaho

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org

Trust for America’s Health: Deeply Disappointed Congress Utilized the Prevention Fund as a 21st Century Cures Offset

Washington, D.C., December 7, 2016 – The below is a statement from Rich Hamburg, interim president and CEO, of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) on the 21st Century Cures legislative package.

“TFAH is deeply disappointed Congress will utilize the Prevention and Public Health Fund as an offset for the legislative package known as 21st Century Cures. Cutting the Prevention Fund will limit the nation’s ability to improve health and quality of life and prevent disease.

While TFAH supports aspects of this legislative package, including the much-needed funds to address the opioid epidemic, we remain opposed to using the Prevention Fund to offset the cost of this legislation.

The Prevention Fund is inextricably tied to the nation’s future ability to reign in healthcare costs. This is the nation’s first and only substantial investment in moving from our current “sick care” system to a true preventive health system. The Prevention Fund should be dedicated to its intended purpose: helping all Americans stay healthy.

Despite the exponentially growing burden of largely preventable diseases, federal disease prevention and public health programs remain critically underfunded. Public health spending is still below pre-recession levels, having remained relatively flat for years. Today, more than 12 percent of the CDC budget is supplied through Prevention Fund investments, including the 317 immunization program, epidemiology and laboratory capacity grants and the entire Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant program—all critical to preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.

The United States spends $3 trillion annually on healthcare without much to show for it: Millions of Americans suffer from chronic diseases, which are responsible for seven out of 10 deaths and $1.3 trillion in treatment costs and lost productivity every year.

And, two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and nearly 20 percent of Americans smoke. Obesity costs the country $147 billion and tobacco use leads to another $130 billion in healthcare spending each year.

Time and again research shows that the vast majority of these chronic diseases can be prevented by investing in addressing the root causes. Yet, the country has repeatedly failed to do so.

The nation cannot afford to trade away our single best investment in preventing disease, preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks, reducing rates of chronic illness, and saving lives and money.”

 

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Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

Trust for America’s Health Releases “Blueprint for a Healthier America” Report Featuring High-Impact Policies for the Next Administration and Congress

Washington, D.C., October 19, 2016 – Today, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released Blueprint for a Healthier America 2016: Policy Priorities for the Next Administration and Congress which calls for a new approach to health – prioritizing improving health and addressing major epidemics in the United States.

“It’s time for a sea change from our current sick care system to a true health system, where we focus on preventing disease and improving quality of life,” said Richard Hamburg, Interim CEO and President of TFAH.  “In the Blueprint, we highlight high-impact policies that could help spare millions of Americans from preventable health problems and save billions in avoidable healthcare costs – if we make them a priority.” 

The report highlights pressing crises and how investments could yield positive returns on investment by adopting proven health strategies.  For instance:

  • Investing $1 in substance use prevention to realize as much as $34 in return.  Deaths from prescription painkiller use have more than quadrupled in the last 15 years and deaths from heroin have tripled since 2010, contributing to higher death rates among middle-aged Whites.  Five of the strongest school-based substance use prevention strategies have returns on investment ranging from $3.8:1 to $34:1.
  • Saving more than $16 billion through a more active and healthy population. One in three children will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime and one in four young adults are not healthy enough to join the military.  An investment of $10 per person in proven, evidence-based community prevention programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition and reduce tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually – a $5.60:1 return.
  • Connecting health and social services to cut billions in costs.  Health and social service coordinating systems that address gaps between medical care and effective social service programs – by connecting patients in need with programs ranging from supportive housing to food assistance – could yield between $15 billion and $72 billion in healthcare savings a year within 10 years, according to a new analysis by TFAH and Healthsperien.
  • Reducing the $120 billion spent annually on preventable infectious diseases.  Fifteen years after 9/11 and 11 years after Hurricane Katrina, when health crises such as new infectious diseases arise, the country still scrambles to implement emergency plans and secure funding.  Preventable infectious diseases cost the country more than $120 billion annually – and that cost is exponentially compounded when new diseases emerge.
  • Realizing a 7-10 percent annual return by investing in early childhood education. More than half of U.S. children – across the economic spectrum – experience adverse experiences, such as physical or sexual abuse, and more than 20 percent live below the poverty line, which increases their risk for “toxic stress” – living under a constant state of stressful conditions – that can contribute to a range of physical, mental and behavioral health issues.  Investments in early childhood education can help mitigate against impact of these risks and increase resilience, while also providing an annual return of 7 to 10 percent per year, and supportive nurse-family home visits for high-risk families show a return of $5.70:1. 

The Blueprint highlights leading evidence-based strategies for improving health and policy – and models to help bring them to scale across the country. These include:

  • Supporting Better Health in Every Community:  Federal, state and local public health programs and policies should support place-based health improvement partnerships. Doing so will help identify and elevate a local community’s top priorities and bring key partners and assets together – from public health, healthcare, social services, philanthropies, education, businesses and faith and community groups – for a greater collective impact.  A network of expert institutes in each state should provide technical assistance to these multisector collaborative partnerships.  In addition, the Prevention and Public Health Fund and other community-based health improvement programs should be protected and fully funded.
  • Modernizing the Public Health System to Be Prepared for Emergencies:  The public health system must be modernized – and sufficiently funded – so that it can handle ongoing threats and new emergencies. Too often the country has been caught off guard when a new crisis emerges, diverting attention and resources.  There should be 1) greater investment to improve baseline foundational capabilities in communities around the country; 2) a standing Public Health Emergency Fund to provide additional surge funds when needed; 3) improved federal leadership, such as through a Special Assistant to the President for Health Security; and 4) upgrades to out-of-date technology and surveillance systems.
  • Incentivizing Health Care vs. Sick Care:  There should be increased incentives and mechanisms for healthcare insurers, nonprofit hospital community benefit programs and social investment funds to support health improvement strategies.  Efforts such as healthcare investment in community-wide health improvement programs, “navigator plus support” health and social service integration (such as Accountable Health Communities), Community Development Financial Institutions for Health (strategic planning and financing intermediaries) and pay-for-outcome approaches should be expanded.

The report also includes a set of policy recommendations to address priority health problems that require urgent action, some highlight areas include:

  • Stopping the Prescription Painkiller and Heroin Epidemics
  • Renewing Efforts to Prevent Obesity, Diabetes and Tobacco Use
  • Highlighting Prevention in the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative
  • Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
  • Stopping Superbugs and Antibiotic Resistance
  • Lowering the Rising Death Rates Among Middle-Aged Whites
  • Achieving Health Equity

The Blueprint was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The California Endowment and The Kresge Foundation.

Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority.

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