The Johanns Amendment is Making Us Sick

Sometimes people's choices show you a lot more about what they don't know than they know. That is certainly the case with the Johanns amendment, up for a vote tomorrow in the Senate.

Lauded as a boon to small businesses tangled in IRS reporting red-tape, the Johanns amendment could really have provided much-needed relief to businesses across the country. But it offers up the Prevention and Public Health Fund--$15 billion dollars committed to building health and wellness to offset costs. By doing so, the Johanns amendment pits small business against the health and vitality of our communities, and pushes for a vote where no one will win.

Less than six months from the creation of the health reform law, and there is already an attempt to pick it apart and disrupt it. Sadly and ironically the attack tries to largely eliminate prevention, something that has been supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.

I have to believe that anyone who would vote to gut prevention money genuinely doesn't understand the promise it holds for our economy, our health and for small businesses. Studies show the huge advantages, and savings, to businesses from prevention.

In a country where some of the greatest costs to our workforce and our economy come from chronic disease and injury, prevention is the only solution Prevention saves money in health costs and saves money in productivity and reduced absenteeism--one study found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73.

We no longer have the option of continuing business as usual, anymore than we can afford to wait until people are sick before we start to get involved. The Prevention and Public Health Fund is not just a smart investment, it is a commitment to a new vision of health for our communities. We are lucky to have a host of legislators who do understand prevention, and who will be arguing hard tomorrow to protect it. Those senators know, that no matter how the issue is cast, we won't be helping small business with the Johanns amendment--we'll be making everyone sick.

 

 

 

Follow Larry Cohen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/preventioninst

Comments

[John Clymer]

02:32 PM on 09/13/2010

The U.S. spends $2.2 trillion a year -- 16.5% of GDP -- on health care; 95% to treat disease after it occurs; ¾ for chronic diseases, ¾ of which are preventable. Yet we invest less than 5 cents of each health care dollar in prevention. The Prevention and Public Health Fund was created to begin taking advantage of prevention … to reduce suffering and premature deaths as well as medical costs and lost productivity caused by preventable disease. Even so, it is minuscule at one-third of one percent of health spending next year. Stopping disease upstream, before it occurs, is the only feasible way to make our health system sustainable. Regardless of the merits of scaling back the bureaucratic burden of the 1099 tax reporting requirement that is the objective of the Johanns Amendment, eliminating the Prevention Fund would be a bad deal for America.

[scottjbecker]

11:35 AM on 09/13/2010

It is wrong to pit the health of Americans and small businesses against each other when there are other ways to cover the cost of reporting business transactions. Sen. Johanns’ amendment is bad for the Prevention and Public Health fund – and it would be bad for all Americans who need health coverage or pay for coverage. Sen. Nelson (FL) has an alternative that gives reporting relief to small business without attacking prevention fund – so that the fund can do its job and produce improvements in the health of Americans.

[APHLNews]

11:50 AM on 09/13/2010

To follow up, Scott Becker is the Executive Director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. Now is the time for the public health community to strongly voice its opposition to the amendment that has been introduced by Senator Johanns. www.aphl.org

[wmnorton]

03:36 AM on 09/13/2010

The problem with Health Care and Health Care Reform is that no one was willing to address the real problem. That is why do Americans pay almost twice as much as anybody else in the world and get less for it than 13 other countries. Until we address the real problem health care will remain a big issue.

[Gary Stein]

10:59 AM on 09/13/2010

A main part of the problem is that we focus too much on treatment and not enough on Prevention.

The cost of a walkable neighborhood with greater access to fresh fruit and vegetables, breastfeeding-friendly communities and workplaces, smoke-free public venues (including apartments) and a medical homes for it residents for wellness checks would greatly reduce the need for high-cost diabetes, hypertension and emergency room treatment. Especiall when low-income populations fall ill, due to unhealthy lifestyles and the "social determinants of health", we all suffer.

Prevention dollars are always well spent, whether it is for smoking cessation or increaseing venues for safe physical activity. Treatment always costs more.