GOP TrumpCare: ACA Repeal Would Mean Massive Cuts to Public Health, Leaving Cities and States At Risk

“Without a comparable replacement, or appropriation of additional funds, at least $3 billion will be cut from state and local public health departments alone over the next five years through funds allocated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An additional $2 billion in federal resources would be lost to a number of other prevention-oriented activities across the entire public health enterprise. This $5 billion is essential to core public health programs that keep Americans healthy and safe every day and makes up 12 percent of CDC’s annual budget, supporting disease tracking, access to immunizations for those most in need, and preventing and addressing lead poisoning, among other priorities.”

GOP TrumpCare: More Disease, More Injuries, More Preventable Deaths

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would lose 12 percent of its annual budget if the Prevention and Public Health Fund, part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), were repealed, according to an analysis by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). States would end up losing more than $3 billion over the next five years – from grants and programs supported by the Prevention Fund. The $890 million gap in CDC’s annual funding created by eliminating the Prevention Fund could not be filled under current laws without drawing funds away from other Department of Labor, Education and Health and Human Services programs.” Bottomline: more disease, more injuries, more preventable deaths. 

Trump’s New Travel Ban Could Affect Doctors, Especially in the Rust Belt and Appalachia

“Doctors subject to the ban are concentrated in Rust Belt states and Appalachia, and estimated that they account for more than 14 million patient visits a year. The doctors are more likely to work in underserved areas and more likely to practice in areas of medicine facing shortages, such as pediatrics and psychiatry, meaning that many likely play a vital role in vulnerable communities.”

Will the Trump Era Finally Kill Paul Ryan’s Wonkish Cred?

“Ryan’s reputation has always been a complete fraud. He has consistently offered extreme versions of well-worn Republican proposals to take from the poor and give to the very wealthy. He has not even defended these proposals honestly. And nowhere is the gap between myth and reality more evident than when Ryan tries to defend the GOP’s position on health care.”

Life Expectancy Study Suggests U.S. Will Lag Behind

“The study found that among high-income countries, the United States is likely to have the lowest life expectancy in 2030, with men and women expecting to live 79.5 and 83.3 years respectively – similar to middle-income countries like Croatia and Mexico. This was partly due to a lack of universal healthcare in the United States, and also due to factors such as relatively high child and maternal mortality rates, and high rates of homicides and obesity, the study said.”