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Sense of House Regarding Prevention and Public Health

Date: Sept. 23, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care


SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING PREVENTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH -- (House of Representatives - September 23, 2008)

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Mr. PALLONE. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in support of H. Res. 1381, expressing the sense of the House that there should be an increased commitment to prioritizing prevention and public health for all people in the United States.

At a time when our health care costs are rising exponentially, it's important now more than ever for us to prioritize public health spending. Spending on chronic diseases is particularly egregious as these diseases are the leading cause of preventible death and disability costing the Nation approximately $1 billion a year. If we can better manage this type of disease, we can dramatically reduce the costs of health care spending.

We know from our past efforts with screenings and vaccines that prevention has proven to work to reduce incidences of illness. Accordingly, any step that we can undertake to prevent the spread of illness and disease needs to be implemented.

I want to thank my colleague and friend, the gentlewoman from California, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, for her and her staff's late-night work to bring this resolution to the floor this evening.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in support of its adoption.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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