Gingrich: Country in danger of health dictatorship

By Misty Williams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

States should be given more control over how to run health care programs rather than broaden the federal government’s role in a system that’s already rife with problems, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday.

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Phil Skinner, AJC "The next time you need a health consultation, you may want to consult with your lobbyist rather than your doctor,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said at the Center for Health Transformation in Atlanta Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011.

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“Maybe we would be better off having 50 parallel experiments,” Gingrich told reporters at the Center for Health Transformation, which was unveiling its latest review on the impact of the federal health care law.

The law grants the federal government 1,968 new and expanded powers -- most of which would fall under the purview of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- and 159 new federal offices, according to the center founded by Gingrich.

Those controls cover a range of issues from access to drugs and insurance coverage to how care is delivered and changes to Medicare, the group said.

America is in danger of a health dictatorship, Gingrich said.

“I think it means that the next time you need a health consultation, you may want to consult with your lobbyist rather than your doctor, because the fact is your doctor is not going to be able to make a whole range of decisions,” he said.

The former speaker, who said he will decide by the end of February whether to form an exploratory committee for a presidential run, described Wednesday’s vote to repeal health care reform as more than symbolic.

He said, “It is the beginning of a dialogue and the beginning of a process which I think over time is going to be very, very powerful.”

Proposed alternatives to the current health care law should have bills dealing with malpractice reform and fraud, which is especially prevalent in the Medicaid arena, Gingrich said. If the federal government can’t run Medicaid, it’s better for the states to take the helm, he said.

He added that states should develop their own health care exchanges instead of leaving it up to the federal government. The exchanges, which go into effect in 2014, would allow small businesses and individuals to form large pools to garner better insurance prices.

Each state is unique and faces different issues, Gingrich said.