Your Healthcare: Doctor’s Orders

Federal funding is the foundation of our nation’s health. Your tax dollars help find cures by funding medical research, stop the spread of disease, and make sure that people have access to medical care. Even if you have private insurance, these things are important to your health and safety.

You may be concerned about…

Do my kids really need all these shots? I’m 37 and healthy, do I need to get vaccinated this winter? What if there’s a new flu or other virus around? How will I know? I’m feeling unwell and have strange symptoms. Who can help me find out what’s wrong? What if a new flu strain starts spreading — who will warn us? How do I know it’s safe to drink the water? Will there ever be a cure or new treatment for… cancer, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, bi-polar disorder? What if I am diagnosed with a serious illness? Will there be a cure in time? My Doctor says I need to be tested for an illness, but the test is expensive and painful – will it ever get better? Will I have to stay in the hospital after I get a knee or hip replacement? What are new hips and knees made of anyway? How will we pay for our parents’ care when we can’t take care of them anymore? What if my newborn needs special care? What happens if I lose my job, or after I retire – How will I afford my healthcare? Can our local hospital or clinic afford to stay open if medicaid is cut?

How do I know what shots my baby needs and when?

The CDC creates the vaccination schedule that helps protect kids from serious diseases like measles. It also helps states run vaccination programs. Between between both cuts to the agency, and erratic changes to vaccine guidance, parents are confused about the best vaccination schedule for their kids. We’re already seeing a rise in the hospitalization and deaths of children from diseases that are preventable. With the CDC’s budget cuts, even fewer kids may get their vaccines on time. That could lead to a return of diseases we’ve already worked hard to prevent, putting children at risk and weakening community protection.

As the CDC cuts staff and budget,

  • Childhood vaccination rates are declining across the country.
  • The US is experiencing the largest outbreak of measles we’ve seen in decades.

What happens when my mom needs a nursing home?  How will we pay for it?

Medicaid and Medicare provide essential access to healthcare for huge swaths of the population, and in doing so, they also financially support hospitals, clinics and nursing homes across the country. Tens of millions of senior citizens are on Medicare, and the numbers of enrollees are growing exponentially as the baby-boom generation ages. More than 60% of all seniors living in long term care rely on Medicaid to pay for their care. And, more than 30 million working-age Americans rely on Medicaid and Medicaid expansion for access to healthcare.

Medicaid cuts will have devastating effects on the elderly and their communities.

More than 600 nursing homes could close, even as the need for long term care is increasing.

What if I get diagnosed with cancer?  Will there be a cure in time?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the biggest funder of medical research in the world, and its work is essential to finding cures for diseases like cancer. Most of its $47.7 billion budget in 2024 went to support research at hospitals, universities, and labs across the U.S. That research helps us understand how diseases work and develop new treatments. But major cuts imposed and proposed by Trump—including for another 12% budget reduction in the 2027 budget request, and the cancellation of 694 research grants worth $2.7 billion—are already shutting down labs and stopping important research.

Cures and treatments for every disease start in a research lab, and it is a long road from research to the development of a safe and effective treatment – often 17-20 years.

When research funding is interrupted, we don’t just risk falling behind as a leader in medical innovation—we risk delaying the next test, treatment, or cure that could save someone’s life.

Whatever your opinions on our healthcare system, the US is undoubtedly a world leader in medical research and development of medical technologies.  Federal tax dollars are used not only to provide access to healthcare, but also to research diseases, find cures and develop lifesaving technologies. Federal agencies that directly impact health and healthcare include:
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS is supposed to protect the health of all people in the USA and provide essential human services. Various smaller – but still very large and important – agencies with HHS work to achieve this mission.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC is the division of HHS most responsible for public health. The CDC identifies, monitors and tracks the spread of diseases, issues public health alerts, and advises on actions to reduce the spread of illness.
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH, also a division of HHS, is the premier funder of medical and biomedical research in the world. 
  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS, also a division of HHS, is responsible for the administration of, funding for, and access to the Medicaid and Medicare services that tens of millions of Americans rely on for healthcare.
  • The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH, which is part of the CDC, performs the research that is the basis for rules governing workplace health and safety. 
  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is the federal agency tasked with protecting human health and the environment. It protects our health by enforcing rules and regulations that prevent the pollution of our land, air and water.
  • The Employee Benefit and Security Administration (EBSA). EBSA, part of the Department of Labor, enforces laws that govern employer sponsored health insurance plans. 
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA, also a part of HHS protects our health by ensuring the safety of numerous products including drugs, medical devices and cosmetics. The FDA also administers our food safety and food inspection laws and can mandate recalls of contaminated or dangerous food products if the company does not do so voluntarily.

All of these agencies are facing budget and staff cuts and priority changes that put both access to healthcare and access to information about dangers to our health at risk.

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