Use this document to complete Part 1 of the PA002 Assessment, Legislation Grid, and Testimony/Advocacy Statement. A minimum of 2 resources should be utilized and adequately cited.
| Health-related Bill Name/Bill # | Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act of 2021(PHISLA) Bill number S. 674 |
| Description | The Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA) of 2021 provides annual funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen core public health infrastructure. Senator Patty Murray, the US Senate health, education, labor, and pension committee chair, reintroduced PHISLA to the Senate on 3 October 2021 following the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the US healthcare system. The Bill focuses on various components, including: Public health assessmentPreparedness and response Community partnership developmentOrganizational competenciesAccountabilityEquity |
| Federal or State? | The Bill is federal because it seeks to ensure that the CDC can support State and local healthcare providers to enhance public health infrastructure. |
| Legislative Intent | This legislation seeks to strengthen core public health infrastructure by providing annual findings for the CDC to Improve core elements of the US healthcare system, including public health assessment, preparedness and response, community partnership development, organizational competencies, accountability, and equity (Cogress.gov, 2021). The Bill proposes grants to each State or territorial health department and local health departments serving 500000 people or more. Apart from providing grants, PHISLA proposes funding for the CDC starting at $750 million for the 2022 financial year up to $4.5 billion for FY 2026 and beyond. |
| Proponents/Opponents | The Bill is sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and supported by over 120 organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing, the American Lung Association, and the American Health Information Management Association. Although the Bill does not currently have opponents for its implementation, it is vital to anticipate some opposition from organizations and policymakers who would associate the Bill with a higher economic burden to the country. For instance, the US healthcare spending surpassed $10000 Per Capita, extending to almost twice the OECD countries’ average expenditures for heath (Milstead & Smart, 2019). Despite the increased health expenditures, unconvincing results would subject the PHISLA bill to the opposition. |
| Target Population | The Bill targets healthcare organizations and vital infrastructure for promoting public health and addressing disparities among at-risk populations, including children, low-income families, unemployed Americans, and uninsured people. |
| Status of the Bill (Is it in hearings or committees? Is it receiving press coverage?) | The Senate read the PHISLA bill twice in 2020 before referring it to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Therefore, the Senate is yet to pass the legislation. |
| General Notes/Comments | If the PHISLA bill becomes a law, it will enhance CDC’s capacity to strengthen public health assessment and strengthen preparedness and response to healthcare concerns. Also, the Bill focuses on bolstering organizational capabilities to align resources towards advancing community health. Finally, PHISLA focuses on enabling health organizations and departments to address disparities related to race, national origin, ethnicity, disability status, sex, and other factors. As a result, passing such a bill would lead to massive healthcare improvements necessary to prevent disease prevalence, address healthcare inequalities, and strengthen organizational competencies. |
Congress.gov. (2021). S.674 – Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act. Retrieved 18 October 2021, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/674. Milstead, J. A., & Short, N. M. (2019). Health policy and politics: A nurse’s guide (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning
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