CLN - Federal Insider
The Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM, formerly AACC) has joined a coalition of dozens of healthcare organizations that are urging Congress to fund public health data infrastructure revitalization efforts.
In a letter to congressional leaders, the coalition seeks at least $340 million annually for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Data Modernization initiative. The funds are earmarked for the creation and upkeep of state-of-the-art data systems and a skilled information technology workforce, both of which are vital to the nation’s health security, the letter notes.
The letter emphasizes the critical role of public health data in swiftly identifying, tracking, and responding to a range of public health threats. With the speed of change in information technology, the need for updates, software patches, security vulnerability protection, and upgrades in public health data systems becomes increasingly pressing, the letter argues.
The organizations project that a 5-year investment of $7.8 billion is necessary for continuous improvement in public health infrastructure at the state, Tribal, local, and territorial levels. “Public health data is not only needed during an emergency response; it is necessary for people and communities to thrive by rapidly identifying, tracking, and responding to daily public health threats of all types — acute, chronic, and emerging,” the letter states.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Office of the Actuary has released a report that projects a considerable rise in U.S. healthcare spending through 2032. The report forecasts national health spending to grow annually by an average of 5.6%, outpacing the 4.3% predicted growth in gross domestic product (GDP). This imbalance will increase healthcare's share of GDP from 17.3% in 2022 to 19.7% by 2032.
Key contributors to this growth will be Medicare and retail prescription drug spending. CMS now expects that average annual Medicare spending growth will be 7.4% for 2023-2032. It predicts growth then a slight slowdown to 7% in 2030-2032, after the last of the baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) enroll in 2029. Average annual growth in retail prescription drug spending of 6% is expected over 2023-2032. “The impact of new drug introductions, particularly for oncology, immunology, and diabetes, is expected to put upward pressure on growth across all payers,” CMS said.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released five reports on health insurance coverage that the administration says demonstrate significant advancement in healthcare coverage for minority communities. HHS called it a “direct consequence of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).”
The reports underscore a substantial reduction in the uninsured rate among several minoritized groups from 2010 to 2022. These changes in the uninsured include Black Americans, from 20.9% to 10.8%; Latinos, from 32.7% to 18%; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, from 16.6% to 6.2%; and Native Americans, from 32.4% to 19.9%.
“The data mirrors our steadfast commitment to making healthcare a universal right, irrespective of race or background,” stated HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Overall, the reports show that the national uninsured rate reached 7.7% in 2023, which is the first year the uninsured rate has been below 8% since this number has been tracked in federal surveys. That also marks a nearly 50% decrease since before the ACA.