Arguing that public health and prevention efforts play a crucial role in saving countless lives and curbing exploding health care costs, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) spoke out against a Republican proposal to eliminate funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides grants to states and communities to carry out prevention, wellness, and public health activities.

The Republican-backed measure, entitled “To repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund,” passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 236 to 183. The legislation must now be considered in the U.S. Senate.

“The Prevention Fund is our first national proactive, strategic commitment to changing the focus of our health care system from one of treatment to one of keeping people healthy,” said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, who co-founded the Congressional Study Group on Public Health and is a member of the Appropriations Health Subcommittee. “If this measure to repeal the fund passes, we lose a critical opportunity to control health care costs and we lose the opportunity to reduce unnecessary suffering and death from preventable chronic diseases.”

The fund, created under health care reform, represents an unprecedented investment – $15 billion over 10 years – to help prevent disease, detect illnesses early and manage conditions before they become severe. For more information as to how this fund benefits California, please click here.

The congresswoman’s full remarks today on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives are as follows:

“Mr. Speaker, HR 1217, which eliminates the Prevention Fund, is an attack on public health and prevention in this country.

The Prevention Fund is our first national proactive, strategic commitment to changing the focus of our health care system from one of treatment to one of keeping people healthy.

This change in focus is essential because keeping people healthy improves the quality of their lives and that of their family, and it is our best means of controlling preventable chronic diseases which account for 7 out of 10 deaths and 75 percent of our nation’s annual health care costs totaling 1.7 trillion dollars.

If HR 1217 passes, we lose a critical opportunity to control health care costs and we lose the opportunity to reduce unnecessary suffering and death from preventable chronic diseases.

Adding to the assault of HR 1217 on public health and prevention is the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution which cuts CDC’s budget by over $700 million dollars.

The result of these proposals is that millions of Americans will needlessly continue to suffer from preventable chronic diseases, costly treatments and costly hospitalizations.

Prevention saves lives and prevention saves money. Defeat H.R. 1217 and continue to build a healthier America.”