National Association of County and City Health Officials Continues to Support the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, March 22, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Friday, March 23, 2018 marks the eighth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments, continues its support for the ACA advancing improvements in the health of all Americans. The law helped to focus the healthcare system on disease prevention rather than treatment alone, and has provided essential support for local health departments and community-based public health activities across the country.

The ACA required coverage of clinical preventive services without cost-sharing in Medicare and new health insurance plans, and incentivized states to do the same in their Medicaid programs. Millions of Americans including seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and children now have affordable health coverage under the ACA. And, importantly, it authorized a critical new funding stream for federal, state, and local public health to support key programs by creating the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). The PPHF supports the following programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• 317 Immunization Program
• Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grants
• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and Diabetes Prevention
• Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant

“Our communities are stronger when everyone has the opportunity to be healthy,” said Laura Hanen, MPP, NACCHO Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs. “The ACA has expanded access to healthcare and invested in prevention and public health approaches to keep people from getting sick in the first place. The expansion of first-dollar coverage for clinical preventive services has increase access to immunizations, reproductive health services, and cancer screenings. It has also enabled significant investments that are now twelve percent of CDC’s budget, in core public health programs. The positive impact of the ACA on the public’s health is undeniable. NACCHO will continue to work with Congress to ensure the gains enabled by the ACA continue to advance.”

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local 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.

Theresa Spinner
National Association of County and City Health Officials
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