American Health Care Act Fails to Protect the Public's Health - Statement by Laura Hanen, MPP, Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 04, 2017) - "As the voice of more than nearly 3,000 local health departments across the United States, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is disappointed that the House of Representatives today passed legislation that eliminates the funding that provides essential resources to governmental public health at the federal, state and local levels.

"The 'American Health Care Act' eradicates funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) in FY2019, which makes up 12% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) funding. Among the programs at risk at the CDC are the 317 Immunization Program, Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grants, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and Diabetes Prevention, among others.

"In addition, the 'American Healthcare Act' ends funding in FY2020 for the Medicaid expansion in 32 states, which has provided access to primary and emergency care to millions of Americans. The bill also caps federal Medicaid funding that will ultimately result in shifting responsibility to the states and counties -- leaving governors, state legislatures, and local governments facing tight budgets with no choice but to reduce coverage for millions of seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and children."

About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

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