Dates of Program: December 2002 through July 2016
Field of Work: Public health advocacy
Problem Synopsis: Modernizing the chronically underfunded and outdated public health infrastructure is essential to protect the public and control skyrocketing health care costs.
Synopsis of the Work: TFAH built a coalition of partners to advocate for a revitalized public health system and make recommendations on how it should be structured, funded, staffed and held accountable. Project staff convened consensus-building forums, provided information and technical assistance, crafted recommendations for prevention-related policies, and produced and disseminated strategic policy reports to federal, state, and local policy-makers, the media, and the general public.
The advocacy efforts of TFAH and its partners helped inform the health care reform debate. The 2008 consensus document, Blueprint for a Healthier America, recommended a stable and reliable funding stream for public health, community-based prevention activities, a national prevention strategy, and other policy approaches that were incorporated into the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Following passage of the ACA, TFAH advocated to ensure its effective implementation and to protect key provisions, including the Prevention and Public Health Fund.
Its work in these areas continues through July 2016.
A small strategic investment in disease prevention can result in significant savings in U.S. health care costs. Implementing community-based interventions, which do not require medical care, could yield net savings of more than $2.8 billion in one to two years—meaning that the country could recoup nearly $1 over the cost of the program for every $1 invested.