According to the Trust for America’s Health, almost $300 million was cut from the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program between its inception in 2002 and 2017. The fund, which is the only federal program to support state and local health departments in health emergencies, was established by the CDC with a starting budget of $940 million, but was reduced to $667 million over the following fifteen years. When the program does receive an influx of funding, it is to respond to specific threats such as Ebola and Zika, and the money cannot be used to strengthen other aspects of the program. Recent research found that US public health departments are left about $4.5 billion short of what they need, according to public health expert Nason Maani and dean of Boston University’s public health school Sandro Galea.
Reduced federal funding for public health has direct consequences for everyday citizens. As baby boomers age, there is a greater need for well-funded health services for the elderly. High opioid addiction levels require well-funded rehabilitation and assistance programs, which the US lacks. Our country has suicide rates ranking in the top ten of OECD countries, but there is not enough suicide prevention funding to lower them.