A Different Way To Look At Public Health In The United States

To be sure, most Americans hold a favorable, trusting view of the CDC and other state and local health departments. However, that favorability hasn’t always translated into funding. In addition to many state and local health departments having their budgets reduced in the past several years, the amount of money spent on public health is not proportional to the beneficial impact it has on our health. It has been estimated that 80% of our health is determined by our surroundings, and not directly the result of treatments or therapies provided by doctors. Yet only 3% of all U.S. healthcare expenditures go towards public health.