Tom Harkin: “I was deeply disturbed several weeks ago to learn of the White House's plan to strip $332 million in critical funding…”

“I was deeply disturbed several weeks ago to learn of the White House's plan to strip $332 million in critical funding from the Prevention and Public Health Fund and to redirect that money to educating the public about the new health insurance marketplaces and other aspects of implementing the Affordable Care Act. No one is more interested in ensuring the successful implementation of the health insurance exchanges than I am. I chair that committee. I was working with both Senator Kennedy and Senator Dodd in formulating these aspects of the Affordable Care Act. But it is ill-advised and shortsighted to raid the prevention fund, which is making absolutely critical investments in preventing disease, saving lives, and keeping women and their families healthy. Last year they took $5 billion from the prevention fund. I will get to that in a moment. So, again, in their raiding of this prevention fund, not only is it a case of misplaced priorities, it is frankly an outrageous attack on an investment fund that is saving lives by advancing wellness and prevention initiatives in communities all across America. A major purpose of the Affordable Care Act is to begin to transform our current sick care system into a genuine health care system, one that is focused on saving lives through a greater emphasis on wellness, prevention, and public health. I have been saying for 20 years or more that we do not have a health care system in America, we have a sick care system.…”