The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) created the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) to allocate mandated spending on preventive public health programs that address the rise in health care costs and preventable diseases (i). Specifically, these funds are intended to address the risk behaviors through preventive services (i).

 

Currently, the PPHF is at risk because funds are being diverted to other programs such as the federal health care exchange. While supporters of the PPHF also support the exchange, they disagree with using the PPHF to support non-prevention programs because this leaves prevention activities with less money (ii). To address this issue, the GW Colonials for Health Federal Group is working in collaboration with TFAH to raise awareness about the PPHF and to rally support for the Fund itself and maintain its use for prevention programs. TFAH is a non-profit organization that works to make disease prevention a priority at the national, state, and community levels. The organization raises awareness and garners support for effective population-based prevention efforts instead of focusing their advocacy work on one disease or condition. This focus has put the PPHF in the center of their advocacy work.

 

Join us in our effort to protect the Prevention & Public Health Fund! 

 

---

 

[i] Kliff, Sarah. Washington Post. (April 19, 2013). The incredible shrinking Prevention Fund. Retrieved on October 10, 2013 from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/19/the-incredible-shrinking-prevention-fund/.

[ii] Trust for America’s Health. (September 12, 2013. Groups Supporting the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Retrieved on October 13, 2013 from http://healthyamericans.org/health-issues/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Groups-Supporting-Prevention-Fund-State-by-State-List.pdf.