Frist Says Health Care Reform Isn’t On The Immediate Horizon

Both presidential candidates have presented sweeping health care proposals, but Former Senator Bill Frist doesn’t anticipate much actual change after the winner takes office.

Frist spoke this morning to the Nashville Health Care Council’s Deal Making Summit. He analyzed the health care plans of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, but then pointed to polls showing that a shrinking number of Americans consider health care a significant issue in this election. Given the polls, Frist predicts neither candidate will talk much about health care reform for the remainder of the campaign. And he says that in an economic climate where investment banks are failing and gas prices hit new highs, the winner can’t afford to press for major changes in the health care system.

“You can’t really cost out the impact of the McCain proposal. Basically you’re blowing up the entire system and putting people into individual market. But the cost impact of the Obama plan, 452 billion dollars per year assuming it is implemented immediately…the point is it costs a lot of money and the American people, where 700 million dollars was lost yesterday, are not going to be in the mood for a large, expansive program.”

Frist anticipates the formation of a panel to study Medicare, no matter who wins the election. But much like the Medicare Commission of the early 90s, of which Frist was a member, he thinks it isn’t likely that any president will act on the panel’s recommendations.