The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare was evident, generating approximately $33 billion in treatment-related costs and placing a significant financial strain on emergency departments, hospitals, and healthcare workers. The consequences extended beyond hospitals, with school closures and disruptions contributing to an estimated $7.6 trillion in economic losses. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately $31 billion annually would fund global pandemic preparedness and prevention. The author argues that public health preparedness yields substantial returns compared to the cost of responding to major outbreaks. Instead, policymakers should focus on investing in local laboratory capacity, genomic sequencing, epidemiologic surveillance and real-time data sharing across federal, state and local agencies.