MI GOP lawmaker wants to end HIV prevention funding

[davidinalameda]

A bill submitted by state Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) that would eliminate state funding for HIV prevention and other important health initiatives, is raising alarms in the public health community.

Agema has proposed eliminating the Michigan Health Fund Initiative (MHFI) which is a special Michigan Department of Community Health fund created by law by diverting a small percentage of sales tax revenues into the fund.

“This is almost like double-dipping,” Agema told Michigan Messenger in a phone interview. He said the program funded by the MHFI was funded in other areas of the Michigan Department of Community Health budget.

The fund currently has about $9 million used to fund HIV prevention, testing and care programs in the state, as well as funding prevention programming for chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, the program funds sexually transmitted disease field support in tracking down patients, research into effective health promotion programming and laboratory services for the City of Detroit Health Department.

The funds are distributed to various county health departments, hospitals, churches and other private agencies, including the Michigan Public Health Institute.

http://michiganmessenger.com/45709/gop-lawmaker-wants-to-end-hiv-prevention-funding

[pinto]

1. I like this rebuttal -

“The idea of taking money away from helping people with HIV and giving it to airports is morally bankrupt and will kill people and end up costing all of us in the long run because of increased health care costs,” said David Holtz, executive director of Progress Michigan.

And many of the others in a purely budgetary framework, since that is how Agema is trying to spin this proposal. Hoist on his own petard...