Tommy Thompson on Health Care Former Secretary of H.H.S.; former Republican Governor (WI)

Repeal ObamaCare

Mark Neumann: Yes

Tommy Thompson: Yes

Recommended $200M for UN Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS

I listened but made no commitment. I considered the UN to be cumbersome, bureaucratic, and inefficient. I was concerned that a fund composed of contributions from different countries with different interests would not spend taxpayer money in a focused or effective way.

Nevertheless, Colin Powell and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson recommended that I support the Global Fund with an initial pledge of $200 million. They felt it would send a signal for America to be the first contributor. Their persistence overcame my skepticism. I announced our commitment in May 2001."This morning, we have made a good beginning," I said in my speech. I didn't add that I had plans to do more.

Proposed block grants to states for all of Medicaid

These distortions and inequities in Medicaid have become so severe that governors like me were willing to trade the federal government's open checkbook for the ability to control our own state's program. We were convinced that we could save money and provide better care for more people who really needed it. Yet Congress rejected Thompson's plan. Since then, I haven't seen a better idea for fixing Medicaid come so close to becoming law.

Convert illness & disease system to wellness & prevention

A: Neither one of them are right. The problem is, we’ve got a sickness, illness and disease society. We spend 90% of $2 trillion--that’s 16% of the gross national product--on getting people well after they get sick. Less than 10% of the money keeping you out of the hospital, out of the nursing home. Does anybody in America think that’s a smart idea? I think it’s dumb. Let’s go to wellness and prevention. Number two, let’s start managing diseases in America. Let’s make sure that individuals that are chronically ill and physically disabled are able to get the quality of health and therefore get the quality of life. They take up 66% of the cost. You could reduce that down to 50%.

End breast cancer by the year 2015 for all women in America

A: My mother-in-law died of breast cancer. My wife has breast cancer. My young daughter has breast cancer. I don’t think I was supportive enough, and that’s why I’m vowing right now to end breast cancer by the year 2015 for all the women in America.

Transform health care into wellness & prevention system

Educate public about chronic illnesses, to avoid them

1. We got to completely transform the health care system, make it a wellness system, and make it a prevention system.
2. We have 125 million Americans that have one or more chronic illnesses. In order to change this we have to educate the American people about tobacco, about diabetes, about cardiovascular and about obesity. You do that, you’ll be able to change health care.
3. 25% of Americans use 2/3 of the cost of health care. If you manage those diseases, you can reduce that down to 50% and save lots of money.
4. information technology--electronic medical records, a patient bill of rights, and be able to have ePrescribing, and if you do that, you’re going to be able to save billions of dollars. If you just go paperless, you will save 10% of the cost of health care.

Supports eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health

1. infant mortality
2. cancer screening and management
3. cardiovascular disease
4. diabetes
5. HIV infection/AIDS
6. immunizations.

1. enhancing access to health insurance
2. addressing numerous gaps in research
3. educating and training culturally proficient health care practitioners
4. educating and empowering health care consumers.

Vows to protect Medicare, add drug benefit

Support small business insurance pool for uninsured

Goal is for all WI residents to have health benefits

Supports prescription drug savings plan for poor seniors

BadgerCare will provide uninsured with affordable care

Let states reform Medicaid; fight “one size fits all”

Medicaid costs have been increasing at an average of 20% a year, and they make up about 20% of all state spending. This leaves budgets with escalating Medicaid costs that are almost bankrupting states. We have used managed care and HMO’s in order to reduce payments in Wisconsin to one half the national average.

I am fighting hard to get Washington to recognize the importance of sharing authority. Give us a chance at the state level to make programs more effective for the individual citizens of our states. The states know what to do. Give us the freedom to do it.

Supports repealing ObamaCare.

Christian Coalition publishes a number of special voter educational materials including the Christian Coalition Voter Guides, which provide voters with critical information about where candidates stand on important faith and family issues. The Christian Coalition Voters Guide summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Repealing "Obamacare" that forces citizens to buy insurance or pay a tax"

Maintain Medicare funding of HMO benefits.

• WHEREAS, Medicare premiums paid to Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) are set at 95% of the current fee-for-service Medicare spending on residents of the county where the HMO is to be offered; and
• WHEREAS, The lack of readily accessible medical care in some areas results in lower utilization of medical services and lower Medicare spending; and
• WHEREAS, The combination of the Medicare HMO premium formula and differences in medical care service utilization results in fewer medical benefits for many Medicare HMO participants in rural, and other low medical care utilization areas; and
• WHEREAS, Medicaid will likely be used to fill the coverage gap in these areas, requiring additional state money; and
• WHEREAS, Language in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act was designed to address these inequities; now therefore be it,
• RESOLVED, That the Midwestern Governors’ Conference encourages Congress to continue its effort to address these inequities, and to resist efforts to reverse the changes made to Medicare HMO premiums in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

Protect state tobacco settlement funds from federal seizure.

As you know, preserving and protecting the state tobacco settlement funds is the nation’s Governors’ highest priority. We strongly urge you to reach final agreement and pass the conference report on the emergency supplemental appropriations bill soon, and to retain the Senate provision that protects our settlement funds from federal seizure.

Many of our state legislatures are currently in session, and some have already completed work on their budgets. Therefore, it is critical that conferees reach agreement quickly on this issue. Governors are unified in their commitment to ensuring that the funds remain in the states and that there be no restrictions on states’ ability to tailor spending to meet the needs of their citizens.

We offer our strongest support for conferees to recede to the Senate version of the bill containing the Hutchison/Graham bipartisan tobacco recoupment protection legislation.