Government
If Obamacare Dies, Cities Will Feel It
The ACA directed millions of dollars to urban public health initiatives addressing everything from lead poisoning to healthcare access.
Every year, about 300 children under age 6 turn up with elevated blood-lead levels among the thousands of lab tests surveilled by Houston’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program. In the vast majority of cases, their staff follows up.
Health officers reach out to parents to ensure that their kids are receiving care. Lead inspectors visit the aging homes in which those kids often live, and remediation crews scrape and replace the toxic paint from window frames and siding. Educators knit themselves into communities, educating schools, churches, PTA groups, and organizations devoted to incoming refugees.