The first punch would come from the Senate’s version of the American Health Care Act, which eliminates the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). The PPHF, which was created in 2010 as part of the
Affordable Care Act, was originally intended to supplement several core public-health programs. During the past few years, however, the PPHF has evolved to be one of the most important government programs in support of vaccines. In fiscal 2016, for example, $324 million, or about 53 percent of immunization funding to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), came from the PPHF.
The second blow will come from the president’s proposed budget, which would reduce funds for the CDC to support vaccines, to $521 million in 2018 from $606 million in 2017. Most legislators have claimed that the president’s proposed budget is dead on arrival in
Congress. Nonetheless, his budget makes clear the administration doesn’t value public health. Even if the final cuts are only a fraction of what is proposed, tens of millions of dollars will no longer be available for immunizations.
...
While there is much to debate about the most efficient and effective ways to deliver health care to the American public, three things aren’t debatable: 1) Vaccines save lives, 2) Vaccines save money, and 3) Reduced support for vaccines will put children at unnecessary risk.