Global Health and U.S. Policy

What is global health?[i]  

• It includes issues that directly or indirectly affect health and often transcend national boundaries;
  

• It requires the development and implementation of solutions inclusive of a variety of actors and disciplines;
  

• It embraces both prevention in populations and clinical care of individuals; and
  

• It emphasizes health equity among nations and for all people is a major objective. 

Why does global health matter? 

• It protects Americans - Global health affects everyone because health knows no borders.Infectious diseases such as avian influenza, tuberculosis, SARS and West Nile Virus can cause pandemics and threaten our national security. 

• It saves America money and helps build economic partnerships - Some health challenges such as HIV/AIDS and neglected tropical diseases can have a major global political and economic impact. Good health is part of the foundation for building a stable economy.Poor health hinders one’s ability to access educational opportunities or hold a job. Poor health undermines countries’ development and trade and can reinforce the cycle of poverty and political instability. 

• It demonstrates moral leadership and improves how other countries view America -U.S. leadership on global health issues provides us with a constructive opportunity in public diplomacy. As a world leader, the U.S. is positioned to assist developing countries through investment in health assistance and use this assistance to support constructive U.S. engagement with weak and failing states. No diplomatic initiatives can better serve the U.S. interest in winning people’s hearts and minds than investing in global health programs. 

• Its support is bipartisan – Republicans and Democrats alike have continuously stressed the importance of U.S. support for global health programs. The general public also supports U.S. global health funding, with more than two-thirds of Americans saying the U.S. either spends too little or about the right amount on global health.[ii] 

Who are the ‘main players’ in global health?

There are many different actors in global health that function at different levels but all play a valuable role  in improving the health and livelihoods of all: 

• Donor governments 
• National governments  
• Multinational organizations 
• Foundations 
• Civil society and nongovernmental organizations
• Academic institutions 
• Corporations 

How is global health funded:

United States foreign assistance programs are an integral part of a broader U.S. foreign policy that aims to build a more secure world by fostering healthy, productive, and stable societies around the world, particularly in developing countries.[iii] The current U.S. National Security Strategy highlights the importance of meeting basic human needs, in which pursuing a comprehensive global health strategy, promoting food security, and leading efforts to address humanitarian crises, are identified as pillars.  Additionally, it emphasizes supporting the rights of women and girls and improving maternal and child health and links to national security. 

The U.S. government funds global health programs through a variety of accounts located within the budgets of the Department of State under the International Affairs (Function 150) Account and the Department of Health and Human Services.

[i] Koplan J P, Bond C T, Merson M H, et. al, (2009) “Toward a common definition of global health.” Lancet. Vol. 373, pp. 1993-1995.
[ii] Kaiser Family Foundation. 2010 Survey of Americans on the U.S. role in global health. Washington, DC. 2010. Available from: http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/8101.cfm. 
[iii] The White House. Celebrate, Innovate, and Sustain: Toward 2015 and Beyond. The United States’ Strategy for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals. July 2010.