Today At TRNS

White House Correspondent Victoria Jones will be attending a White House briefing with Robert Gibbs.

Legal Affairs Correspondent Jay Goodman Tamboli is covering the release of opinions at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Washington Bureau will be covering the following events:

-A panel with former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Mary Catherine Bateson and Chuck Gould of Volunteers of America; and political strategist Donna Brazile on "Boomer Bust: From Greatest Generation to Crisis Generation".

- A discussion on "Political Developments Since the Surge" with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rafi Al-Issawi.

-A conservative leadership seminar with Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), former U.S. Treasurer Bay Buchanan, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Liz Cheney.

-A briefing to introduce a report on the "Ocean and the U.S. Economy" with Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) in recognition of Capitol Hill Ocean Week.

Congress Focuses On Global Warming Legislation

Former Vice President Al Gore testified before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment in support of "The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009." Describing the bill as "One of the most important pieces of legislation ever introduced to Congress," Gore called its passage a "moral imperative."

Gore cited recent research showing dangerous changes in climate due to man-made global warming including melting arctic ice, increased carbon in water, and extreme weather events.

The proposed bill, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, will create a cap-and-trade limit on carbon emissions, meaning that companies will have to buy and sell the right to produce carbon, making it more economical to reduce carbon. The E.P.A.'s findings state that this bill will "transforms the structure of energy production and consumption, moving the U.S. to a clean energy economy."

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich also testified before the subcommittee, calling the bill a huge mistake. He explained that the bill imposes an energy tax, stating, "If you use electricity it punishes you, if you use heating oil it punishes you, if you use gasoline it punishes you. This bill will increase your cost of living." Gingrich worries that the U.S. will not be able to compete in a global economy if no other countries tax carbon.

However, Gore stated that he believes if the U.S. acts, the world will follow. Describing the moral significance as equal to that of civil rights legislation of the 1960's, he explained, "Passage of this legislation will restore America's leadership of the world and begin, at long last, to solve the climate crisis."

Newt's new drug for America

This week, the president is having his first health care summit. He has proposed changes in the budget for what he calls a down payment for future health care. He signed a bill to provide more children with access to health services, and on Saturday evening he offered the job of secretary of Health and Human Services to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, D-Kan.

Health care is the big elephant in the living room, and no one has successfully taken it on. The Democrats put a kind of universal health care in their platform in 1948, which was 61 years ago. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to tackle health care as first lady with the slogan "health care that is always there." She was out-maneuvered, and the plan was squashed with the help of some very clever Harry and Louise ads. This president has learned from the mistakes of others and is going to take it at a slower pace.

However, the other side of the aisle decided to preempt the president last week by having their own conference with their own solutions. No, it was not the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, where Newt Gingrich was a star. Instead, Republicans held a "Healthcare that Works" conference, and Gingrich was there, again, in a starring role. He can always reinvent himself. He became speaker because he was able to speak to the average voter. His Contract for America resonated with millions of Americans. It was simple and clear. Many of his health care ideas are the same. They are clear, simple and something with which most Americans can relate.

Gingrich began the Center for Health Transformation in 2003 by branding it "Better health, lower cost." As a liberal, I am suspect of the Republican motives with regard to health care and the free market. I spent years working for a "for profit" health care company where there were corporate meetings devoted to making sure our managers were increasing the amount of tests given to patients to boost the bottom line. So, I come to the Gingrich plans with a jaundiced eye.

Jaundiced eye or not, some of Gingrich's ideas are sound and should be taken into consideration by the Obama team. His 10-point plan has some good ideas even if it a bit biased toward limiting liability, which is the hallmark of Republican thought.

The Gingrich plan seeks to reward health care groups that adopt evidenced-based practices with higher reimbursements. He wants to develop new ways of paying for health care that emphasizes patient wellness. Transparency is another goal, which would include price and quality information from all government health programs including Medicare, Medicaid and Veterans Affairs. He wants to increase the ability to self-report medical errors in exchange for limited liability. The FAA adopted these self-reporting practices years ago, and it has worked to make our skies much safer, as the data is then collated and airlines can train pilots to avoid the mistakes others have made. In addition, he wants to give health care plans, both public and private, the latitude to experiment with prevention and wellness programs by redesigning health insurance that encourages wellness.

Liberal, conservative or anything in between, it is worth remembering that it was Newt Gingrich who ushered us into the 21st century by developing Thomas.gov. We can now search bills, read them as they are being considered and follow their progress though the maze of committees. Never behind the times when it comes to technology, he has a 10-point system to create an electronic health information platform, which would include open-source technology so hospitals and other providers do not have to spend valuable dollars and time reinventing the wheel. The president's broadband initiative could tie in to make this information system work and save millions of dollars.

I have been around Washington, D.C., long enough to be skeptical of most statistics and facts I read. But if Gingrich's Center for Health Transformation's information is correct, it is enough to make Florence Nightingale turn over in her grave. One eye-popping fact is that in 2007, Florida accounted for "80 percent of drugs billed across the United States for Medicare beneficiaries with HIV/AIDS even though the region only had about one of 10 eligible patients."

There are cases of sham companies and putting homeless people on vans and ambulances so they would use hospital services they did not need. I would have never believed that this was really happening had I not sat through countless meetings designed to drive up health care costs for profit in the mid-1980s. One solid idea out of the Gingrich shop is to fully fund the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general. Imagine that! Real government oversight.

Do I really trust the Republicans on oversight? Not a chance. Their record is not stellar. However, other than perhaps running for president in 2012, the former speaker has nothing to gain from this. He has as much consulting, speaking and financial support as he could possibly want. He has some great ideas, and the Obama administration should invite him to be an integral part of its reform effort.

Gingrich criticizes Obama's approach to Economy

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich criticizes President Barack Obama's approach to the economic stimulus bill. He specifically says that "governing is not campaigning", and that Obama may be approaching the bill too hastily, because it's a bill he will have to live with for the rest of his presidency.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service

Health care transforms, Gingrich gives thoughts

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, participated in the Center for Health Transformation's Healthcare that Works presentation at the Washington Press Club.
A panel of speakers presented data on the need for robust and universal computerized medicine for safety and cost savings. Gingrich said government could save much more by promoting private sector best practices than by just funding benefits.
Merrill Mathews, PhD, said centralized accounting could combat fraud totaling billions of dollars annually. He said the private sector has much better control of this, and should be the model.
Brandon Savage, MD, of GE Healthcare, said electronic patient records Could be modeled on ATM software which already provides fast access no matter where the user is, while remaining secure. Gingrich added that such records could monitor medical errors, medicine conflicts, allergies, etc.

According to Donald Doak, EBSCO Publishing, 40 thousand to 90 thousand lives a year might be saved . He also said Evidence based (objective, statistically supported best practices) medicines is derived from, and distributed by, networked databases.
Gingrich said that he had tried to encourage electronic medical information reforms under Bush for six years; now they are part of Obama's package.
In a broader concluding statement, Gingrich also proposed tripling NSF funding, based on a "generational investment strategy": the payoff is huge, but delayed. "My biggest mistake as Speaker was not doing that."
Dr. Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation, endorsed Gingrich's estimate of needed funding.

The entire presentation will be available as a video at www.healthtransformation.net