Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Karen Murphy, PhD, RN, is urging the commonwealth's U.S. Congressional delegation to exercise caution when considering an ACA repeal.
In a news release on Pennsylvania's official government website, she said U.S. legislators should consider the effect such a repeal could have on residents, especially children and seniors in need.
She goes on to cite an analysis from Trust for America's Health, which shows Pennsylvania's health departments at the state and local level could lose nearly $112 million over the next five years if the health law's Prevention and Public Health Fund is dismantled.
"Repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund would resonate beyond the federal level and hit state and local health departments hard," Secretary Murphy said in the release. "Our job is to ensure the health and safety of all our citizens, but especially to protect our most vulnerable populations including children, seniors, and low-income Pennsylvanians. The loss of this funding in the coming years arrives at a time when major health threats, like infectious diseases and the opioid epidemic, are on the rise."
She noted that Pennsylvania has received more than $83.1 million through the PPHF since it was established in 2010. The funding helps support a number of public health and prevention efforts in the state, such as monitoring of opioid prescribing; vaccines for children and adults; and breast and cervical cancer screenings for eligible, underserved women, among other initiatives, according to the release.
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