Conservatives have blood on their hands:
In terms of what this means for public health funding, most of the public health funding at the federal level is discretionary so it will be impacted by sequestration. Cuts of 8 percent to 10 percent to programs funded at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would mean:
• Life-saving immunizations would be denied to 30,000 children and 20,000 adults.
• An increase in the number of HIV transmissions by nearly 800, costing the nation more than $250 million due to reduced availability of HIV tests.
• Tens of thousands of additional healthcare-associated infections each year would debilitate patients, kill thousands and cost billions in added healthcare costs.
• Decreased ability to evaluate and investigate 100-150 multistate outbreaks identified by CDC surveillance networks, including outbreaks of E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus, causing outbreaks to last longer, get bigger and cause more illnesses and deaths before they are controlled.
• Reduced number of local health department staff trained in epidemiology, laboratory and outbreak response by 2,500.
• Eliminating over 50 intramural and extramural research, translation and outreach projects and grants increasing the economic burden of work-related injuries and illnesses, which is already more than $13 billion annually.
These cuts would be in addition to those already made that have resulted in the loss of 55,000 high-skilled public health jobs and many more positions furloughed. In a report from Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies, the potential impact of sequestration on nondefense discretionary programs would impact the public health arena in the following ways: 659,476 fewer people would be tested for HIV, 48,845 fewer women would be screened for cancer; and 211,958 fewer children be vaccinated.
Sequestration Could Cripple US Public Health
