Repealing Prevention and Public Health Fund

Floor Speech

* Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1217, a bill that would repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund established by the Affordable Care Act. The Prevention and Public Health Fund makes smart investments in state and community efforts to help the American people live longer, healthier lives.

* The Prevention and Public Health Fund represents a paradigm shift in the way we conceptualize health care in this country. Instead of focusing exclusively on treatment, the fund established by the Affordable Care Act recognizes the importance of prevention and encourages Americans to lead healthier lifestyles. All 50 states are already using these funds to target the obesity epidemic, HIV prevention, tobacco usage, and nutrition and physical activity.

* Not only does the Prevention and Public Health Fund promote healthier lifestyles, it also contributes to long-term savings in health care expenditures. As health care costs continue to rise, preventative care can help to rein in the out of control costs. Preventing chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke does not only make sense from a public health perspective, it makes sense from an economic perspective as well.

* The United States spends $270 billion annually due to chronic illness. Chronic diseases are also responsible for 70 percent of deaths in America and 75 percent of health care expenditures. Working to curb unhealthy behaviors that lead to chronic disease such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and poor diet will save lives and money.

* At a time when we are being forced to make tough decisions on government spending, targeting a program like the Prevention and Public Health Fund is misguided. Investing money into community-based preventative care initiatives that encourage people to engage in healthier behavior has the potential to save the country billions of dollars in costs associated with treatment of chronic disease.

* In California alone, the Department of Health and Human Services has already used the Prevention and Public Health Fund to grant $42.7 million to organizations throughout the state that are engaged in prevention and wellness initiatives. Of this $42.7 million, $8.9 million has been awarded to community and clinical prevention, $7.2 million to public health infrastructure, and $26.4 million to primary care training.

* The cost of treating those with chronic illness totals billions of dollars annually and leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity. Preserving the overall health of the American people should be a priority of this body. The move by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to repeal this important aspect of the Affordable Care Act is not only fiscally irresponsible, but it is also morally reprehensible.

* Developing programs that will encourage Americans of all ages to lead more active and healthy lifestyles will require significant investment at the community level. The Prevention and Public Health Fund does that by strengthening the capacity of state and local communities.

* Repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund will threaten the well being of millions of Americans and I urge my colleagues to vote against this measure to repeal it.

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