The resources required to deliver public health functions to populations, the impact of those resources on the health of those populations, and the impact on the public health system as a whole.
The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago report defines financing as “the resources required to deliver public health functions to populations, the impact of those resources on the health of those populations, and the impact on the public health system as a whole.” Drawing on other scholars’ insights and reflecting independent cross-country financing research, the NORC definition provides a solid basis for a coalition-wide understanding of financing. Part of this definition cites Honoré et al.’s “Public Health Finance: Fundamental Theories, Concepts, and Definitions,” which strives to define public health finance as a field. The NORC report as a whole works to fill a gap in the understanding of public health financing, which is largely caused by a lack of consistent tracking of public health funding. Working on behalf of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NORC conducted research regarding the challenges caused by limited health financing data and the effect of policy changes on the funding of public health efforts.
Meit M, K. A., Dickman I, Brown A, Hernandez N, & Kronstadt, J. (2013). An Examination of Public Health Financing in the United States. (Prepared by NORC at the University of Chicago.) Washington, DC: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Available from https://www.norc.org/PDFs/PH%20Financing%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf