Public health tempers costs

Thank you for your fine editorial (March 19) on the need for preventive health care. I worked as a nurse in acute care and public health for 50 years. We can all agree that health care in the U.S. is more costly and less effective than it should be. Instead of cutting public health funding, we should be increasing it. Prevention works. But it is hard to quantify savings from things that haven’t yet happened, thus politicians are loathe to support preventive measures.

The ACA included important preventive measures in all health care plans including immunizations, contraception, health education and screening for common illnesses that, if diagnosed early can be managed at low cost. People who are poor have the highest risk of preventable illness and lack a regular health care provider, environmental pollution and lack of access to healthy food choices are big contributors.

The Republican Congress advanced a replacement for the ACA that rather than decreasing costs to individuals would’ve surely increased them and moved the burden to those least able to pay. We will pay for these preventable illnesses one way or another. How about preventing the cost in the first place by supporting public health?

Carol B. Allen, PhD, RN

Spokane Valley