ICYMI: Buchanan Chairs Health Subcommittee Field Hearing on Prevention and Modernized Health Care in Southwest Florida

"Eating Real Food is a Key Component to Preventing and Reducing Chronic Diseases."

Discusses Need for Prevention, Nutrition, Screening and Innovative Solutions to Improve Health Outcomes

BRADENTON, Fla. - Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, led a field hearing in Florida's 16th Congressional District examining how prevention, coordinated care and innovative approaches can help Americans live healthier lives.

During the hearing, Buchanan emphasized the growing health and financial burden of chronic disease in the United States and the urgent need to shift toward a prevention-focused health care system.

Witnesses included Dr. Mark Kauffman, Dean of Academic Affairs at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine; Dr. Christopher Davis, Founder of Reveal Vitality and Longevity Institute; Dr. Stelios Rekkas, Medical Director at Manatee Surgical Alliance; Dr. Patrick Hwu, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center; and Mr. Scott Darius, Executive Director of Florida Voices for Health.

Click here to watch Congressman Buchanan's remarks and the full field hearing.

Here's what Buchanan said about improving health outcomes in America:

On prevention and nutrition as the foundation of health

Buchanan: "I'm so proud to be able to highlight work that's being done in this region. … Let me just ask a couple of quick questions by a show of hands. Please raise your hand if you believe … eating real food is a key component to preventing and reducing chronic diseases.

[Every witness raises a hand]

"Second, keep your hands raised if you believe we could do a better job educating physicians and patientsabout the importance of nutrition.

[Every witness raises a hand]

"And finally, keep your hands raised if you think insurance, Medicare and other programs sufficiently cover prevention and detection tools today.

[No witness raises a hand]

"Well, that tells the story right there."

On screening and early detection

Buchanan: "Dr. Davis, … in terms of the longevity component, prevention … how do you explain what that means and how does that play out with your practice?"

Dr. Davis: "I would say that 90 plus percent of all chronic disease is caused by toxins that we are exposed to in our environment. … Those toxins, those pesticides, ... those are the things that we see that cause oxidative stress, that actually contribute to chronic illness, and it diminishes our longevity. ... Longevity is not living longer. It's thriving. ... We have to wake up, and we have to start looking at where the true causes are."

On prevention and medical education

Buchanan: "Dr. Kaufman, you talked about nutritional training for physicians. What does that mean today here at your facility, LECOM?"

Dr. Kaufman: "We have a very unique curriculum here at LECOM Bradenton, ... and part of that is problem-based learning. ... It's more than just the symptom and the diagnosis; it's delving into a lifestyle and the nutritional component that goes with it. We do have nutrition in our programs, and ... we have committed to expanding our curriculum already. ... It's really a refocusing on prevention instead of reactive medicine. It's much more expensive to treat the heart attack. It's much more expensive in terms of their quality of life after they've had a heart attack than it is to prevent it in the first place. ... Each disease process is not only treatable but preventable."

On the importance of early intervention

Buchanan: "I believe screening is a critical component of preventing diseases. In the House, I lead bills to increase screening on ... lung cancer and Alzheimer's disease. I know we have advocates in attendance today supporting these bills, and I want to thank them for all their support over the years."

On prevention vs. reaction in health care

Buchanan: "Dr. Hwu, … You said 50 percent get screened early, but I've also heard the number that 95 percent, if they catch [cancer] early, … there's a high probability you can take advantage of that and live a normal life for a long time. What's your sense in terms of screening? I tell everybody, get a physical once a year in January, at minimum, ... My mom, unfortunately, had colon cancer. By the time we went in, it was so advanced, you couldn't do much with it. The idea of prevention, especially one of my bills is on lung [cancer] prevention, trying to catch that early. I lost my assistant to lung cancer and her husband. … We've got to do a better job of educating and getting people out there to do the right things."

Dr. Hwu: "You are absolutely correct. If we can screen and catch cancer early, we can cure the cancer. I treat melanoma. Melanoma starts in the skin from sunburns, and it can go to almost any organ in the body. But if we catch it early and cut it out, it's almost always cured at an early stage. The key is to catch these cancers early. ... Thank you for your emphasis and your support of prevention and screening."

In addition to being the Vice Chairman and most senior Republican on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, Buchanan is also the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, which has broad jurisdiction over traditional Medicare, the Medicare prescription drug benefit program and Medicare Advantage.

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