But I note that the use of health information technology must not come at the cost of privacy. It is critical that the strong privacy protections we put in place under HIPAA apply to any electronic medical records. A patient should be the one deciding who has access to their medical history, and this cannot change when we move from paper to electronic records.

Some public and private providers, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, and the City of Santa Barbara, have invested in health information technologies such as electronic medical records, computerized treatment order entry, and web-based access to medical records by patients. But to this day all these systems lack the ability to electronically communicate with each other or to exchange data. During this time, the U.S. healthcare system has been seeking Congressional and Presidential action to develop national standards and improve health information technology.

Until recently, this Administration did very little to improve or establish a nationwide health information system. Between 2004 and 2005 only $100 million was earmarked in the budget for grants to promote the use of health information technology. That $100 million is the amount that Massachusetts alone needs just to implement electronic prescribing statewide, and this still does not include electronic health records or clinical decision support systems. Then, three months ago, the President signed an executive order to develop an IT strategic plan and appoint a National Health Information Technology Coordinator, who is Dr. David Brailer. Unfortunately, the President tied Dr. Brailer's hands before even appointing him. According to the Presidential order, the strategic plan may "not assume or rely upon additional Federal resources or spending to accomplish adoption of interoperable health information technology."

Yesterday Secretary Thompson unveiled the results of this executive order - a plan that is mostly goals and strategies, with little substance and few resources. Of the few action items, the Administration proposes having the private sector regulate themselves through certification of information technology products. The only funding in the plan is $2.3 million for seed funding to develop health information exchanges. Simply put, the President's proposal, which Secretary Thompson is here to highlight, lacks the money, leadership, and commitment needed to make health information technology a reality throughout our health system.

In contrast, my colleagues, Representative Patrick Kennedy, Senator Edward Kennedy, and Senator Hillary Clinton, have offered substantive proposals to make health information technology a reality. Their bills require federal standards that allow systems to communicate. They provide substantial funding to help providers afford information technology systems and upgrade existing systems. They provide financial incentives to make good on our promises of commitment to health information technology by offering higher levels of reimbursement to providers who adopt and utilize it. Unlike the President's proposal, these bills make great strides in overcoming the barriers to incorporating health information technology in America.

In the field of health care we need to think in much broader strokes. Whether the subject is information technology, covering the uninsured, or helping pay for prescription drugs, we need much more comprehensive proposals than this Administration has offered. At some point, resources must match rhetoric for real progress to occur.