State's Health Funding Faulted: Report Says Texas Lags in Per-Person Spending to Halt Disease, Bioterror
Posted on: Wednesday, 14 June 2006, 12:00 CDT
By Michelle Mittelstadt, The Dallas Morning News
Jun. 14--WASHINGTON -- Texas lags well behind other states in receipt of federal dollars for disease prevention and bioterrorism preparedness -- ranking 42nd on a per-person average, according to a report issued Tuesday by a nonpartisan health advocacy group.
The state received an average of $14.28 per person last year in federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health grants -- significantly below the $20.99 spent per person nationally, Trust for America's Health said after a review of federal data.
Alaska received the highest per-person share -- $53.36 -- while Florida brought up the rear with $11.38.
In absolute dollars, though, Texas ranked fourth among states, receiving $326 million of the $5.9 billion disbursed by the CDC. Though the nation's second-most-populous state after California, Texas ranked behind Pennsylvania, California and New York in total dollars received.
Success in the public health arena can't be measured in terms of dollars, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
"We try to use what we get the best we can," said spokesman Doug McBride. "Can you look at a dollar figure, can you look at a ranking and say 'Texas is less prepared than Alaska or another state with a higher dollar amount?' I don't think you can say that."
He acknowledged that Texas faces unusual public health challenges, such as rarely seen diseases in impoverished border communities and the state's diversity, large size and population.
Texas' public health system has benefited from extra federal funds since 9/11, Mr. McBride said. "You can always use more, but it's not always just about the money. It's about the effectiveness."
In its report, "Shortchanging America's Health," Trust for America's Health also examined state public health spending -- and found that Texas spends proportionately less per resident than most other states.
Texas spent an average $13.59 per person on state public health programs last year -- well less than half of the $35 average nationally. Hawaii spent the most on public health per person, at $123, with Nevada at the low end with $3.76 per resident. Texas ranks 38th in per-person spending on public health, the report said.
The health advocacy group expressed concern about the unevenness in federal and state public health spending, saying it would take at least $2.6 billion in new spending annually to rectify the disparity.
"Americans deserve and should expect basic health protections, no matter where they live," said Jeff Levi, the group's executive director.
Part of the problem may be that federal grants aren't tied closely enough to population, said Anne Dunkelberg, a health policy expert with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which advocates for low-income Texans.
"When you get down to funding streams for things like mental health services and public health services and communicable disease services ... they are not necessarily scaled to meet population needs or growth or inflation or any of those things," she said.
Mr. McBride said he doubts the group's report fully documents spending from state to state, noting that in Texas, for example, local health departments bear some public health costs. The study excludes New York, Louisiana and the District of Columbia because all of the costs couldn't be tracked, he pointed out.
E-mail mmittelstadt@dallasnews.com
ADVOCACY GROUP'S CONCLUSIONS
Texas ranks 42nd nationwide in receipt of federal funds for disease prevention and bioterrorism preparedness, according to a review of federal data by Trust for America's Health, a nonpartisan health advocacy group. Examining funding on a per capita basis, the Washington-based group concluded:
The federal government spends an average $20.99 per capita nationally.
In Texas, the funding amounts to $14.28 per person.
Alaska received more than any other state, with $53.36 per capita.
Florida received the least of any state, with $11.38 per person.
SOURCE: Trust for America's Health
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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Source: The Dallas Morning News
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