Prevention and the Affordable Care Act

Regardless of how you feel about this week’s US Supreme Court Decision upholding all but one provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), none can argue that the PPACA has not had an incredible impact on the American conversation about healthcare. This is as true for the public discourse around prevention and its importance in a functioning healthcare system as any other aspect of public health.

As stated by the Prevention Institute in their press release about the affirmation of the PPACA,

“By including prevention measures such as the Prevention and Public Health Fund and the National Prevention Strategy, the Affordable Care Act moved our country from a focus on sick care towards a system that advances health and health equity, saving money and lives. These measures have supported communities across the county in creating safe, walkable streets, promoting healthy food environments, supporting local worksite wellness, and safeguarding tobacco-free air. With prevention, we are paving the way toward a more equitable, prosperous, and healthy future for all, and are already seeing improvements in norms and environments in communities across the country.”

The PPACA has several provisions which will have a lasting impact of prevention work, described here in detail by the American Public Health Association (APHA). Click here to learn how the PPACA lays the foundation prevention in the United States, and how the PPACA has lead to the creation of a National Prevention Strategy (from HealthCare.gov).

Below is information about an upcoming web conference about the PPACA from the APHA website.

The Supreme Court’s Decision on the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Prevention and Public Health

Thursday, July 5th: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. EDT / 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. PDT

Join APHA, the Public Health Institute, the Prevention Institute, Trust for America’s Health, PolicyLink, and leading public health law experts from the National Health Law Program and the Network for Public Health Law, and George Washington University for analysis and discussion of the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and what that decision means for the public health and prevention provisions of the ACA.

Register Now