Report: Many Programs Under Health Reform Law Remain Unfunded
Many public health programs established under the federal health reform law have yet to receive funding, and other programs have been funded could lose that money, according to an American Public Health Association report, the AP/Miami Herald reports.
The report found that just 10 out of 18 programs to expand the public health work force have received funding, while training grants and loan forgiveness programs still are unfunded.
In addition, the Prevention and Public Health Fund has been targeted by members of Congress for elimination (AP/Miami Herald, 6/24).
The fund was conceived to create a stable budget source for national public health programs, but critics have called a "slush fund."
Republicans said the program was so nonspecific that it permits HHS to use the funding for questionable purposes. In April, the House passed legislation largely along party lines that would remove funding for the program.
Democrats have noted that the fund had received bipartisan support during negotiations over the reform law and that investing in preventive care could help lower health care costs (California Healthline, 4/14).
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