Today’s news that $850 million in funds earmarked for pandemic flu prevention and preparation was stripped from the stimulus package at the request of Republicans who claimed such funds were not stimulative comes as no surprise, but it may be a lesson far costlier than $850 million.
Besides the looming and possibly dire public health threat, this is an illustration of how wrong it is to separate health care and the economic health of our nation. The decision to remove those funds from the stimulus package stemmed from the argument that investments in public health are not stimulative.
How wrong they were.
There’s an old nursery rhyme that carries a timely message for today:
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail
Karl Rove was one of loudest voices against this particular investment, ironically claiming it was “pork”, not stimulative, and an investment in a sector that needed no stimulus. Maine Senator Susan Collins was a key player in getting the provision stripped from the bill, pointing specifically at the provision for pandemic flu preparedness as an example of spending that didn’t create jobs. We may come to understand that it is far more likely to be the horseshoe nail.
Because of the widespread nature of the outbreak in the United States, the DHS has confirmed that it has the potential to become a pandemic. There are 40 confirmed cases spread coast-to-coast in the United States alone. The virus has been confirmed to match the virus linked to 68 cases in Mexico. It is of global concern, and poses a threat to the global economy.
The same politicians that criticized government investment in preventive measures are now appealing to the government to assist in containing the virus. Texas Governor Rick Perry made a large show of refusing stimulus funds and going as far as to suggest that Texas secede from the US if spending continued to reel out of control. Yet, after 3 confirmed cases of the swine flu in Texas, Governor Perry is now requesting an additional stockpile of antiviral medications (a key component of pandemic flu preparation) for the state of Texas.
As well he should. While we all hope this flu is not a pandemic, this outbreak underscores the need for preparedness, but also that politicians get a clear understanding of how closely health care is related to the health of the United States and global economies. If this flu becomes a pandemic, a major factor in its spread will be the lack of access that many have to adequate health care, preventive measures, antiviral medications, and proper education about the simple steps needed to prevent flu outbreaks.
I hope this is not a pandemic flu. I hope even more that the lesson learned by every single politician in Washington is this: Healthcare reform is our horseshoe nail. If we do not invest in and fix healthcare in this country, our economic “horse” will be lost.
More swine flu information:
