Assisting Doctors to Obtain Proficient and Transmissible Health Information Technology (ADOPT HIT) Act of 2005

Mr. Speaker, it seems that tonight is health care night. We just heard from two of our colleagues from Texas, one of whom I agree with and one of whom on a lot of points I do not necessarily agree with. But, Mr. Speaker, I do rise tonight to express my deep concern over the high cost of health care and the toll it has taken on our families and our businesses and our economy.

I was very encouraged to hear President Bush discuss the important issue of health care reform during a speech in Ohio today. A recent NBC news poll showed 76 percent of Americans believe health care reform is a top priority for our Nation and we absolutely must act to create a more transparent accessible and affordable system, as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) just said.

Before coming to Congress, I practiced medicine as an OB-GYN for 26 years. I know that America has the best doctors, hospitals, research facilities in the world, but all of that is for naught if people, Mr. Speaker, cannot afford the care that they need.

However, different Americans have different health care needs, and we cannot resort to a Hillary-care program, to a one-size-fits-all system of care. We rejected that in 1993, and we reject it here today in 2006. Instead, we need reform that allows Americans to be better health care consumers.

When we shop for a new car or home what do we do? We compare prices to get the best deal and the best product. Health care should be no different. Too many Americans are paying the high cost of health care out of their own pockets, and the family budget is suffering. This is exactly why we need real practical initiatives like health savings accounts and association health plans, despite what the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) just said. We need this to make health care affordable, portable and secure.

The number of people that are buying high deductible health plans along with these health savings plans is not decreasing, as the gentleman suggested, but it is increasing. Three million today and by 2010 14 million. I am very supportive and proud that the President talked about this and is going to expand health savings plans for the future. These initiatives will help businesses across America afford health benefits for their employees, which in turn will reduce the number of uninsured in this country.

I am as concerned, Mr. Speaker, as all of my colleagues are of the fact that we have maybe 41 or 42 million people in this country without health care. But this is the way you get them the health care so they can get a policy with a very low premium that covers the catastrophic and they can stash away money each year in that health savings account. It can grow just like an IRA and they can use this money in many instances for medical care that is not covered under a traditional health care policy. I am talking about things like dental care, a hearing aid or visual care.

So along with flexibility in our health care system, this is another very important point, and Mr. Burgess just spoke about that.

We must be technologically advanced. You heard, Mr. Speaker, Chairman Dreier talk a little bit about job statistics and how we do not need to be using twentieth century machinations to determine what our growth and our job rate is. We need to have a better system that more accurately reflects the job growth in this country. It is the same thing with the health care system. It must be technologically advanced.

Mr. Speaker, I recently went to Antarctica and, amazingly, I could get cash from an ATM machine with no glitch in Antarctica. But if I had fallen ill during my travels, the hospital

there could not have accessed my medical records or known what medications I am on; and I happen to be on several heart medications.

This is a recipe for disaster, and to fix this crucial shortcoming I have introduced legislation to increase tax breaks for physicians who invest in the new technology of electronic medical records. Physicians are more likely to adopt this new technology if our Tax Code helps offset the substantial, and they can be substantial, initial costs.

We have seen the success of this tactic with other tax relief for small businesses. H.R. 4641, the Adopt HIT Act, will help our doctors save money, time and, most importantly, Mr. Speaker, save lives.

Reforming health care will make coverage more affordable and accessible for both workers and employers, especially our small businessmen and women. But affordable health care is only half of the equation. After all, the most affordable health care in the world is, Mr. Speaker, irrelevant if a patient cannot get in to see a doctor when he is sick or visit the emergency room when he is injured.

As a practicing physician for nearly 30 years, I have seen the results of our troubled medical tort system firsthand. In many communities, hospitals have closed, women have to travel across State lines for prenatal care, emergency rooms lack the on-call specialists they need to save lives. This should not happen in America, home to the greatest physicians in the world.

I call on my colleagues to join me in the effort to create a consumer-driven system of care for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Health Information Technology, one of the most important and immediate ways we can increase patient safety and help more Americans access quality health care.

Health Information Technology, like electronic medical records and e- prescribing, can help doctors save money, time and, most importantly, save lives. But as I speak to practicing physicians across America, I am hearing the same thing time and time again, Mr. Speaker: I would love to invest in this new technology, but the costs are simply prohibitive.

This is why I have introduced H.R. 4641, legislation to increase tax deductions for physicians who invest in Health Information Technology. If more physicians can afford Health IT, more Americans can benefit from these systems.

Mr. Speaker, a recent RAND study reveals that a widely adopted Health IT system could save the United States more than $126 billion each and every year. We have a unique opportunity then to help doctors, patients and the American taxpayer in one fell swoop.

It is absolutely crucial that we encourage the adoption of HIT, Health Information Technology. Congress must act, and we must act now. H.R. 4641 is the right approach to lower the cost barriers to Health IT for our physicians.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise President Bush for his State of the Union remarks on health information technology, which he rightly noted will help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors.

I would also like to encourage my colleagues to support health IT legislation that I have introduced, H.R. 4641, the ADOPT HIT Act.

Consider this: I can go to Antarctica and get cash from an ATM without a glitch, but should I fall ill during my travels, a hospital there could not access my medical records or know what medications I am on.

Right now the health care sector is woefully behind in using modern technology to reduce errors and save money, and that is why I introduced H.R. 4641. It provides increased tax breaks for physicians who invest in new health information technology.

As a physician, I know many doctors want to utilize new technology, but they find the cost prohibitive. Doctors will be more likely to adopt this technology if our Tax Code helps offset the substantial initial cost. By adopting the ADOPT HIT Act, by passing that act, we can move one step closer to a health care system that saves time, money and, most importantly, lives.