Public Health and the Affordable Care Act
A recent post on the Network for Public Health Law blog ticks off some of the public health benefits of the recently upheld Affordable Care Act, such as Community Transformation Grants and grants for school-based health centers, as well as the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, improved access to oral health and adult vaccines, and grants for workplace wellness programs at small firms.
NewPublicHealth caught up with Sara Rosenbaum, JD, founding chair of the Department of Health Policy at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services to ask about some of the public health impacts of the Court’s ruling.
“The main message of the decision is that it allows implementation to proceed on track and retains intact all the new funding for public health and other population health measures such as nutrition labeling and workforce reforms,” says Rosenbaum. The ruling does narrow the power of the Health and Human Services Secretary to enforce state compliance of a Medicaid expansion that could significantly increase the number of people in the United States receiving Medicaid benefits, says Rosenbaum. She adds that interpretation for states of the Court’s ruling on the Medicaid expansion by the Secretary of Health and Human Services is expected in coming weeks.
“The structure and aim of the law remains intact,” says Rosenbaum. “Now we’re in an era of implementation. “
>>Bonus: The Network for Public Health Law is also hosting a webinar Thursday, July 19, at 1 – 2 p.m. ET on the Supreme Court decision. See a chart from the Network on the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that impact public health.
>>Related: Check out our list of who to watch for further analysis of the decision.
