The state of Louisiana would lose at least $45,111,030 to counter health crises over the next five years if the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), were repealed, according to an analysis by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stands to lose 12 percent of its annual budget.
In total, 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, Louisiana's core funding for preparedness and response to health emergencies have been cut by more than one-third in the past decade, with the state now only receiving $8,286,241 per year for these protections. 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 grew by 64.1 percent in Louisiana in the past 10 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: 36.2 percent of adults in Louisiana are obese, and 21.1 percent of children are overweight or obese. Nationally, this contributes 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 (nationally, by 10 percent since 1999) among middle-aged White men and women (ages 45 to 54), whose death rates have increased by 18 percent in Louisiana since 1999. Increasing death rates among middle-aged Whites are the highest in West Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas.
The report, and a full breakdown of Louisiana’s potential losses can be found at http://tfah.org/reports/prevention-fund-state-facts-2017/release.php?stateid=LA
Trust for America's Health is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community, and working to make disease prevention a national priority. TFAH works on a variety of issues to help protect the health of every community, and make disease prevention a national priority. Major vulnerabilities remain in our preparedness to respond to health emergencies, including bioterrorism, natural disasters, chronic diseases, and emerging infectious diseases.