Prevention Fund issue brief. As many of you know, the Affordable Care Act created the Prevention and Public Health Fund as an investment in activities that can help communities improve health outcomes and help the U.S. decrease health care costs. Two years later, this issue brief summarizes the need for and impact of prevention and public health funding; reviews the design and intentions of the Fund; and provides an update on how the Fund has been implemented and allocated to date.
In providing this information, the brief underscores the importance of maintaining - and ideally increasing - current Prevention Fund spending levels. APHA hopes this brief can be a useful resource on topics such as
Despite a recent cut to the Fund and some use of its resources to replace existing appropriations, and regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the Affordable Care Act, the Prevention Fund represents a critical investment in the health of our communities and in the nation's long term fiscal health.
Farm Bill primer. The 2012 Farm Bill is currently being debated in the Senate. The Farm Bill reauthorization offers an important opportunity for the public health community to support a healthier, more sustainable food system. The Primer provides public health professionals a brief summary of the Farm Bill history and outlines the key components of the 2008 Farm Bill that impact public health in four sections:
Farm Bill policies and programs play an important role in combating chronic disease, reducing environmental health impacts, and providing access to healthy, affordable foods for all Americans.
The briefs are attached above and are available on APHA's website. For questions about these briefs please contact Caroline Fichtenberg at (202) 777-2517 or caroline.fichtenberg@apha.org.