Former Sen. Frist on Health-Care Innovation

" It's likely to be business as usual yet again it's a senate panel meets this morning to debate president Obama's push for sweeping changes in the nation's health care system. Yesterday's drafting and voting session turned into six hours of speech making forcing Canadian leaders to doubt if any plan can come together by next month deadline. This is price Waterhouse of releasing a report predicting lawyers we'll likely see -- 9% cost increase next year. And health care coverage Bill Frist is a doctor and a former senator from Tennessee he joins us this morning good morning senator good to see what's written with the I would just thing to you we were talking bad before we got into the session and I said will now that she had a moment to step away. From Capitol Hill Washington DC get involved. In something that you were positioned for twenty years he worked in medicine. How has this shape or frame from the conversation. That you were seeing occur right now on Capitol Hill. "

" You know as it is a great question because you have our policy makers with -- a lot of rhetoric a lot of debate in the and you talk to the average typical person out there who just says. You know I want good care want to good doctor want to be able to choose a doctor I go to Lou I don't want to cost me too much. And it somewhere in there we've got to lower the cost of health care. We've got to give the consumer your typical personnel there are the -- the assurance that they don't have a good doctor take care of their child at a reasonable cost. And -- the cost of healthcare it and going to drop them out of business from and they have to sacrifice for the rest of their life if your child have to consider. They want access they want cost they want that doctor patient relationship is that something the government can give them."

" Senator how we do they have because the public option is one and it's not. Clearly gaining any support from the Republican Party right now what is the right solution to drive down costs but still maintain innovation."

" You know let's distances are great question the fundamental question are two problems. Your typical person listening right now -- especially since I -- when I needed and I don't want to have to drive me bankrupt. And that's a big issue that we have the 46 million people who are uninsured. Who end of countries such is this such as United States I believe. The twenty million of those 46 was simply can't buy they just don't have the capacity to. That we do need to step in and make sure they have affordable access to a good insurance policy. How much does that cost well to do it right now with what's on the table is about one point five trillion dollars. To take care of those 46 million people and where is that money going to come from we don't have it. And so we have to go out and borrow it and eventually the taxpayers have to pay for it so right now -- your typical consumer out there saying my health care cost are going to go up. Which which they are. So that the best approach you put a public plan out there the public can't run by the government or one run by the states to help to help fill that gap. You probably looked at some kind of public plan what kind should be a socialize when most people say no could be one run more locally by states people probably more tolerable."

" Hit me one of the things senator Kent Conrad brought up with the idea cooperatives that perhaps that is something that can be done on state by state basis. And and it allows individuals. To control the system as opposed to. What some suggest would be an unfair balance of power if there were a government option versus private option."

" For the basically three options of the F 46 million people how you get them in the in the markets you say the 200 million people out there who have private insurance was given private insurers. That's probably too expensive for all of them. But what you don't want is people will start dumping their private insurance and going on a public socialized nationalized program. And they nationalized program run by the federal government public plan. Has them and optimistic buying power of government they pay doctors 20% less in the public plan the pay doctors -- hospitals 20% less. And -- the cost of that plant to be less so clearly people with private insurance. Paid for by employers are going to be dumped into that public plan which it bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And then we get a single Payer system something to say that's good some say it's bad coming back to innovation though. You destroy innovation with a single Payer system and the mystery one quick example the hospital that I worked -- and trained effort for about eight years was Massachusetts General Hospital. If you look at the research budget for that one hospital. You know Arab American system today it just -- research budget for innovation and creativity and future cures. It is higher than the entire research budget for the single Payer Canadian system. How just what you put on the side. So yes you can cover everybody with the public plan but you take away the creativity of the dynamism and innovation for new cures. Whether it's alzheimer's or curing leukemia for your kid. -- an eventual cure for HIV aids and malaria around."

" I was saying to you be coming back from the summit I just purchased in Detroit that it to involve stealing it from the rim. Was talking about the idea of interconnectivity through your Smartphone almost a concierge based system he's talked to thirty CIOs across the country major corporations. Where we can connect to our -- practitioner -- doctor -- shudder through Smartphone technology. That perhaps that's the kind of technology innovation that we need that would meet the system more efficient wouldn't think."

" Well that's the empowerment. Another it is social networking Twitter with the connectivity. There might turn up their blackberries here available to come on the show. That is the world today in its very empower -- people are a lot smarter than government Washington government things. I've seen it again and again and again but to be able to empower the individual. With control of their own health with the health policy that her own that they can actually take with them with information that tells them what to do what not to do. And that technology is clear but what we needed to do is invest it recently President Obama invested twenty billion dollars in technology. That helps with some of automation. And -- not help with what you said the connect Timothy. Or the decision support that position is needed and that patients they didn't individuals need. Or the potential for data mining. All that's going to take the private sector with --"