IOM: Federal spending on public health should be doubled

Calling the nation’s public health systems “chronically” underfunded, a new report from the Institute of Medicine calls for federal public health spending to be more than doubled (Source: “Report calls for doubling nation's public health spending,” The Hill, April 10, 2012).

The report –- For the Public’s Health: Investing in a Healthier Future –- points out that in the U.S., $8,086 was spent per capita on medical care in 2009, compared to $251 per person in public health spending. The report concludes that federal spending on public health should increase from $11.6 billion to $24 billion "as a starting point to meet the needs of public health departments."

"The country's failure to maximize the conditions in which people can be healthy continues to take a growing toll on the economy and on society," said Marthe Gold said, chairwoman IOM's Committee on Public Health Strategies to Improve Health. "As the backbone of the health system, public health departments could help communities and other partners engage in efforts and policies that lead to better population health."