At a luncheon on Friday, June 13, the always insightful Congressman Jim Cooper offered candid remarks to Leadership Health Care (LHC) members about current issues in Washington affecting Nashville’s health care industry.
In addition to addressing budget challenges in the areas of interest rates, Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance, Rep. Cooper discussed the importance of personal choices and behavior on health compared to medical treatment. He pointed out that personal behavior is four times more important than doctors and hospitals in determining the health of a patient.
“Nashville is the nation’s health care industry capital, and you can make a difference in shaping the future of health care into what it should be,” Cooper said. “We simply can’t carry on with the same model anymore, so we need innovation and big change.”
Other topics covered in his discussion were patient compliance, a legal perspective on the Affordable Care Act, transparency and health care fraud. LHC members asked a wide range of questions, and were interested to hear his thoughts on the Veterans Affairs controversy, the progress of the CMS Innovation Center and the shift to a retail model in health care.
Wearing his professor hat, the Congressman gave LHC members plenty to think about, in addition to several book recommendations, includingCatastrophic Care, The Norm Chronicles, The Citizen Patient, Remedy and Reaction, Overtreated and The Undead, among others.
And just in case members want to continue these discussions with the Congressman, they all walked away with his personal cell phone number.
This event with Congressman Cooper is part of ongoing programming for the Council’s Leadership Health Care initiative, offering members insights from national industry and policy leaders in an interactive setting. For more information about Leadership Health Care, visitwww.leadershiphealthcare.com.