Health Reform and PHSSR


Health reform is a hot topic on Capitol Hill.  In years past, health reform discussions have focused mostly on providing quality, affordable health care to all and not much on public health and prevention. Now the tide is turning. Our policymakers realize that a strong public health system focused on prevention of disease and injury and preparedness for any health emergency must be a cornerstone of any health reform plan.


The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions has completed the mark-up of The Affordable Health Choices Act introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy.  In Title III, Subtitle D, Section 331 of the Act, the committee recognizes the need to “provide funding for research in the area of public health services and systems”.  More formally known as the field of Public Health Systems & Services Research (PHSSR), this area of study has grown exponentially in the past year.  Please take a moment to visit the U.S. Senate Committee on HELP Web site for links to the audio and video footage of the daily meetings and download a copy of the Act.  Thanks to grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the Center for Public Health Systems & Services Research (CPHSSR) has established an online community for public health researchers, practitioners and policymakers to share best practices and collaborate at www.publichealthsystems.org. 


Six members of the Senate Finance Committee have formed a bipartisan group to draft a bill that will eventually be merged with the Act and H.R. 3200.  House Bill 3200 contains text in Sec. 3111 for funding, Sec. 3131 and 3132 for task forces and Subtitle D on page 950 provides for a research component, which could include public health systems & services research.  The funding levels begin at $100 million and rise to $300 million in 5 years.  Lastly, another piece of specific interest to those in the field of PHSSR is found in Sec. 3161.  This section covers the core grants to public health agencies which are funded at $800 million and rise to $1.3 billion in 2014.  Core funds can be used to address deficiencies found as health departments complete the accreditation process and support a voluntary accreditation program.  The complete bill text is available on the Open Congress website.

As the legislative process continues, CPHSSR wants to keep you informed of the developments and discussion on Capitol Hill and how they relate to the field of public health systems and services research.  Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, Principal Investigator for CPHSSR, states, “All of us who have worked in the field of Public Health Systems & Services Research are delighted that the new Kennedy Health Reform Bill includes support for our field. Public health researchers and practitioners support our nation’s policymakers improve the way services are delivered to American citizens. Evidenced-based research leads to the development of solid policies which assists the public health workforce in their quest for quality improvement.”

RWJF maintains a blog and keeps those interested in Health Reform up-to-date on their website.  Additionally, you may want to check with Association of Schools of Public Health, American Public Health Association and AcademyHealth on their websites on how they will be affected by the proposed legislation.

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