Newt Gingrich Addresses Missouri Senate on Health Care

By Jonathan Rivoli, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jan. 19–JEFFERSON CITY — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for a new way of thinking about health care on Wednesday in a speech to the Missouri Senate.

Gingrich, who led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994 and served as speaker for four years, said future health care systems need more preventative care, more incentives for competition and greater use of electronic medical records.

“Never before in human history have we had this many people living this long,” said Gingrich, who founded the Center for Health Transformation to spread his message to legislators across the nation.

Speaking from the Senate podium in a charcoal suit, blue shirt and red tie, Gingrich said Missouri needs a health care system that fosters more competition among providers by giving individuals more choices over where they receive and pay for their treatment.

Such a system would increase efficiency and foster more preventative care through personal responsibility, Gingrich said.

“There’s an old saying that nobody ever washes a rental car,” the former speaker said.

Gingrich’s proposals also included more school health screenings for children, and a switch to electronic medical records to improve efficiency and reduce errors.

Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood, invited Gingrich to Missouri to share his ideas on health care at a time when legislators are exploring new options in the face of last year’s Medicaid cuts.

The speech came at no cost to Missouri taxpayers and provided valuable ideas, Gibbons said.

“I don’t think there’s any question that we can do a better job for everybody,” Gibbons said.

Sen. Pat Dougherty, D-St. Louis, said he thought the speaker’s address contained a lot of interesting ideas.

“He did not appear to come in with a political ax to grind; he came in saying that there are a lot of challenges out here,” Dougherty said.

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