U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) recently co-sponsored legislation to fund the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), which includes programs aimed and preventing and responding to pandemics.
The Public Health Funding Prevents Pandemics Act would ensure the PPHF, part of the Affordable Care Act, would be fully funded, something it has never been since its inception.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted our nation’s dire need to invest in pandemic prevention and public health response programs,” Rosen said. “This legislation will address disparities in our pandemic response efforts and help prevent future pandemics by fully funding the Prevention and Public Health Fund. I will continue working to improve our public health infrastructure and protect the well-being of all Nevadans.”
The legislation would authorize and appropriate $2 billion in FY 2022 and subsequent years to fully restore the PPHF. Under the ACA, funding for the PPHF was supposed to increase over time and reach $2 billion in FY 2015. However, other legislative priorities led to the PPHF being repeatedly cut and never reaching its full funding level. The lack of appropriated funds has prevented core public health programs from expanding, the senator said, and prevented the development of new programs to prepare for and respond to pandemics like COVID-19.
The legislation is endorsed by more than 150 public health groups, including Trust for America’s Health, AIDS Institute, American Heart Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.