Former Senator Bill Frist told the Chattanooga Rotary Club on Thursday that interest in the economy has replaced the public’s interest in health care as the presidential race progresses to a finish in November.

With the help of a slideshow, Dr. Frist showed that, among Democrats, healthcare is second behind the economy in topics the public wants their candidate to address. Among Republicans, healthcare falls to fourth behind the economy, Iraq, and immigration.

Dr. Frist said that the health care reform debate in the primaries is not the real health care reform debate. The real debate will come later. Furthermore, he said, no plan proposed by the candidates will be enacted into law and that these proposals would only serve as a starting point in negotiations after the election.

Dr. Frist said that the differences between the two parties on health care reform are best summarized by two quotes taken from the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Democratic voters are largely dissatisfied with the state of health care in America, are interested in hearing the candidates talk about major expansion of coverage for the uninsured, and favor the government playing an important role in accomplishing this goal.”

“In contrast, a somewhat less dissatisfied Republican electorate places a higher priority to reduce the high cost of health care over attempts to achieve universal coverage and is leery of the involvement of the federal government. Republican voters favor more limited expansion of coverage, marketplace solutions, and encouraging persons to make more effective health care decisions for themselves.”

Returning to private medical practice after his years in the Senate, Dr. Frist now lives in Nashville. He is teaching two courses at Princeton University in New Jersey; one on Global Development and another on Health Economics.

Dr. Frist shared some of his other interests with the Rotarians. Africare is a leader in aid to Africa and Dr. Frist is a director in the organization and has visited the continent of Africa several times.

Dr. Frist said that 28,000 children in the world die every day of common ailments that are easy to cure. That adds up to over 10 million children per year dying of ailments like diarrhea and respiratory diseases. Over 1.2 billion people, he said, do not have access to clean water which is the primary cause of much of these people’s suffering.

One Vote ’08 is another interest of Dr. Frist. One Vote ’08 took on the mission of educating all 15 candidates for the presidency on the effects of malaria and extreme poverty in countries around the world.

In 1994, Dr. Frist became the first practicing physician elected to the U.S. Senate since 1928.

Dr. Frist spent 12 years in the Senate, rising to Majority Leader in 2003. In 1994, Sen. Frist took an oath to serve only 12 years in the Senate. He stepped down after his 12 years and Chattanoogan Bob Corker won the election over Democrat Harold Ford, Jr.

Dana Wilbourn
Dbwilbourn@yahoo.com