Report: Arizona lagging behind in per capita health spending

Arizona reportedly is ranked as third-worst nationally for amount of money it spends on public health at $10 per person. analysis from State Health Access Data Assistance Center shows that only Missouri and Nevada spent less per capita, Arizona Republic reports.

Arizona’s public health spending increased in 2019 to $15 per capita, according to data from nprofit Trust for America’s Health.

A state’s investment in public health isn’t only measure of its ability to handle an emergency such as COVID-19.

However, some experts tell Republic that it shows political foresight to invest up-front in infrastructure supports disease prevention, crisis preparedness and aims to end health disparities that are already emerging with COVID-19 because coronavirus-caused disease affects mirities at disproportionate rates.

“It’s an indicator of state’s political willingness to fund things that protect people, prevent disease and often has a tremendous return on investment,” Dr. Bob England, interim director of Pima County Health Department, told Republic.

Lynn Blewett, director of State Health Access Data Assistance Center that’s based at University of Minnesota, said “at this time, during this pandemic, you certainly don’t want to be on low end of this list.”

Blewett added that public health infrastructure at state level is critical for emergency preparedness and response.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration has prioritized investments in public health and public safety, gubernatorial spokesman Patrick Ptak said.

Ducey signed legislation last month that added $55 million to state’s Public Health Emergency Fund to support Arizona’s efforts to combat continued spread of coronavirus.

One-time emergency funding at federal and state levels in response to COVID-19 is t an ideal way to recruit and retain highly skilled employees or prevent future pandemics, said John Auerbach, president and CEO of nprofit, Washington, D.C.-based Trust for America’s Health.

“It’s t an attractive pitch to say take a job with us for a year and after that money from Congress is over,” Auerbach said. “It becomes very hard to sustain your level of professionalism when you’ve got this up-and-down funding.”

Trust for America’s Health report listed Arizona’s 2019 state spending on public health as $109 million, which is less than one-fifth what Massachusetts spent that year.

Arizona has a 6% larger population than Massachusetts based on 2019 census estimates.

But report showed Arizona has a population that’s 4% smaller than Washington, yet Washington spent more than three times as much on public health.