Every year hundreds of millions of Americans grudgingly fill out their 1040 tax return forms to hand over hard earned money to the federal government. Since 1972 the federal tax return form has included a section asking taxpayers if they would like to contribute a portion of their income taxes to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (PECF), the program has been moderately successful. Until 2008 every nominee of the two major political parties had accepted public financing from this fund. In 2008 then Senator Barack Obama’s unprecedented fundraising numbers allowed him to not opt-in to the public financing system, breaking the thirty-year trend that was funded by American taxpayers. Most analysts agree that Obama’s decision has jeopardized the already shaky public financing system. I propose that Congress eliminate the PECF and establish a Global Health Fund in its stead. This new agency would be funded by a voluntary tax proposed to American taxpayers in the same way that the PECF has been proposed for over three decades.

From 1976-2005 PECF raised approximately $1.432 billion according to a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), an agency within the Library of Congress. What this means is that during that twenty-eight year period millions of Americans had decided to donate to the voluntary fund presumably with the hopes of improving America’s elections. At its peak in 1981 the fund only persuaded 28.7% of American taxpayers to donate into the voluntary fund according to the same CRS report. As of 2004 that percentage was down to and all time low of 9.2. The reasons for this are numerous, but the CRS does find that many Americans just are not interested in giving politicians money to run campaigns regardless of the assumed societal benefits from doing so.

The question currently posed to those filling out their income tax return is: “Do you want $3 of your federal tax to go to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund?” I propose establishing the Global Health Fund and replacing that question with this one: “Do you want $3 of your federal tax to go to the Global Health Fund to help save human lives around the world?” While I do not expect an overly enthusiastic reaction I would be willing to bet that more than 9.2% of American taxpayers would be willing to donate to this fund. In 2004 when only 9.2% of Americans donated to the fund that 9.2% represented $50.2 million in the PECF. I think we could easily double that percentage with a simple ad campaign that I am sure plenty of third-world conscious celebrities would be glad to endorse. The tax code is constantly changing, but assuming the numbers stay roughly the same and this system is put into place by the time 2010 tax returns are due (April 2011), if just 18.4% of American taxpayers decide they want $3 ($6 if filing jointly) of the taxes they are already paying to go to the Global Health Fund, that means $100.4 million would be available for global health initiatives…every year.

What comes to mind are the host of easily treatable maladies that are nothing more than memories to most Americans, illnesses that kill millions of people throughout the world every year. Thousands of children die of diarrhea, and millions of people die due to bacteria that could easily be treated by antibiotics of the type that are practically given away at pharmacies across America. The fact is there is a global health crisis, but not just of monster illnesses like AIDS, but of highly treatable disease like malaria which kills millions every year but can be treated by drugs easily available in the United States. For better or for worse United States capital opens doors, and the hundreds of millions of dollars created by the Global Health Fund will save thousands if not millions of lives in a very short period of time.