Rep. Kelly Introduces Pittsburgh Health Care Innovation Leader at Committee Hearing

Ways & Means hearing explores use of technology in creating higher quality & efficiency in health care

“We can put a guy on the moon but we can’t get him through the emergency room!”

WATCH HERE

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – participated in today’s Health Subcommittee hearing on exploring the use of technology and innovation to create efficiencies, higher quality, and better access for beneficiaries in health care. At the hearing, Rep. Kelly formally welcomed and introduced Michael Gallup, president of the Pittsburgh-based TeleTracking Technologies, Inc., who later provided expert witness testimony before the subcommittee.

Highlights of Rep. Kelly’s remarks:

“When I first ran for office, I was really trying to champion what we do in the private sector, and I had people constantly tell me, ‘You know, your problem, Kelly, is you don’t get it. Look, the government can’t be run the way the private sector is run.’ And I said, ‘No, it’s just the opposite. It’s the antithesis. The private sector can’t possibly run the way a government does.’”

“Here’s where the rubber meets the road: It’s not about the money that we spend. It’s about the money we spend that’s used inefficiently and ineffectively.”

“I don’t understand how people can indulge in deficit spending, not year after year, but decade after decade, and build a long term debt that we know is going to sink our country and say, ‘You know, the problem is we’re just not extracting enough money from hardworking American taxpayers. These people are gonna have to cough up more money to support our inefficiencies.’”

“Is it about policy? Yes. But more importantly, it’s about people. It is about people.”

“It is hard for me to sit here and look at who we are and where we have been. We can put a guy on the moon but we can’t get him through the emergency room. We can invent the Internet but we can’t get people through the hospital system. What is wrong with us? Look at the spending. It isn’t for lack of investment.”

“It’s only over when we decide it’s over. It’s our ability to stick to the message and stick on course and make sure that we fight this to the very end. This is a win for every single American—it does not matter to me how they’re registered, by the way. We can win this battle. The big thing is we just have to refuse to lose. We can win, and we can win for every single American.”

###