Patrick Kennedy: “I thank Mr. Stark for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, we are talking today about the potential to…”

“I thank Mr. Stark for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Chairman, we are talking today about the potential to revolutionize our health care system by means of technology that we are using in almost every other industry currently in our society except the industry that probably could benefit the most from it, and that is our health care system. We are after this for many different reasons, but one of the reasons I am after it for is because I want to reduce the cost of health care for my constituents. My constituents, whether they be businesses that are paying exorbitant premiums for their workers, or the workers who are paying high premiums themselves, or whether it is not only the consumer, but it is even the providers that are getting shortchanged on their reimbursement, no one is happy with the current health care system. So, Mr. Chairman, what we could do today is do what has been already outlined by the Rand report, which says we could save $162 billion in direct costs because we would now not have to duplicate care if we have care now that is tracked, so we don't have to go to four different doctors and not have each doctor repeat the same test. We can now make sure that the best in care gets to everybody, because now the evidence base will be available to all doctors, no matter where they live in this country, so people will get the same and the best of care. But, frankly, Mr. Chairman, this bill doesn't do it. This bill doesn't do it. Why?…”