Public Health Investments Pay Off

Public Health Investments Pay Off 

From the December 1, 2011 Health Care for All blog item

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently released a policy brief summarizing four groundbreaking research studies that confirm what we already know: sustained, dedicated, adequate funding for community-based prevention will pay off right away, and even more for the long run.

Key findings from the brief highlight the successes of proven, community-based prevention programs:

• A July 2011 study published in Health Affairs found that increased spending by local public health departments can save lives currently lost to preventable illnesses.
• A 2011 Urban Institute study concluded that it is in the nation’s best interest from both a health and economic standpoint to maintain funding for evidence-based, public health programs that save lives and bring down costs.
• A May 2011 study published in Health Affairs showed that a combination of three strategies – expanding health insurance coverage, delivering better preventive and chronic care, and focusing on a prevention strategy to enable healthier behavior and safer environments – is more effective at saving lives and money than implementing any one of these strategies alone.
• In 2008, Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report showing that an investment of $10 per person annually in proven, community-based public health programs could save the United States more than $16 billion within five years – a $5.60 return for every $1 invested.

The recommendations stemming from these studies all say essentially the same thing: sustained investments in public health are imperative to improving health outcomes and reducing medical costs.