ORLANDO, Fla., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Reminding the audience that as a soldier he was responsible for running one of the largest health care systems in the world, General Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), today committed to empower Americans with medical information so they are no longer "at the mercy" of those in the health care bureaucracy.
In a keynote address to attendees of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., National Drug Trend Symposium, Powell asserted: "We want to be able to put the consumer -- the individual consumer, the individual family -- in the health care debate so they're not at the mercy of the healthcare provider, the government or even their human resources coordinator, all of whom may mean well but don't always have the ability to meet consumers' needs."
In his post-government career, among his other interests, Powell is a board member for Revolution Health, a consumer-centric health company committed to placing more health care information online -- including patient ratings for doctors and hospitals.
"Americans need to learn more about preserving their health and putting off the need for health care," he said, advocating the increased leverage of information technology in creating additional value across the system. "The whole purpose of this is to deal with the problems we have with the cost inefficiencies of health care in America."
Although much of his career in the military, and later as Secretary of State, required spending time abroad, he reveres the time he now spends touring America, encouraged that "we're still the same country that knows how to get things done -- we're very innovative."
Reminding the audience that America remains where other nations turn "to create opportunity and resolve crises," the decorated military veteran offered his perspective on a range of global issues, starting with the war on Iraq.
While supporting the successful campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein and applauding the servicemen and women in Iraq, he said unexpected developments transitioned the mission "from invaders into occupiers" and that "the insurgency has deteriorated into a civil war."
He suggested, however, that the Bush administration's military surge would place only a temporary lid on the situation. "There is a limit to what Americans can do, only the Iraqis can do this for themselves," he said.
On other issues and events, Powell offered the following comments:
* Leadership: "Great leaders face reality -- they don't pretend it's not
there -- and they change."
* Europe: "We created a zone of stability and peace; we should be proud of
what we accomplished."
* The Soviet Union: "Although I may not agree with every decision he
makes, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will never go back to making
Russia into the old Soviet Union again -- that movie failed at the box
office."
* China: "They were once our enemy; that didn't work. They're now our
trading partner. The only fight we'll have with China is whether they
can have more shelf space at Wal-Mart."
* India: "1.3 billion Indians used to be on the wrong side of the ledger
from us. They want to climb that ladder of growth and wealth creation so
they can take care of their people."
* North Korea and Iran: "(These) are problems that can be resolved
diplomatically. Be patient and work the diplomacy."
Ever optimistic, Powell said it is important to keep the threats and the opportunities in perspective. "When you look at the world overall, billions of people are moving forward. There is instability involving only 150 million people out of more than 7 billion," he said.
Powell added: "The greatest weapon we have against terrorists is not to change who we are -- a welcoming compassionate nation who lets the world come to us. They can never change who we are as a people -- only we can do that to ourselves. If we do that, the terrorists win. Let's secure ourselves so we can be open to the world."
Powell served as Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 and spent 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of four-star general and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989 - 1993). During this time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the victorious 1991 Persian Gulf War.
He is the founding chairman of America's Promise -- The Alliance for Youth, a national crusade to improve the lives of our nation's youth and to ensure all children in America have access to the fundamental resources needed to build and strengthen them to become responsible, productive adults.
About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. is the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager based on its 2006 total net revenues of more than $42 billion. Medco's prescription drug benefit programs are designed to drive down the cost of pharmacy health care for private and public employers, health plans, labor unions and government agencies of all sizes, and for individuals served by the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program. Medco's technologically advanced mail-order pharmacies and award-winning Internet pharmacy have been recognized for setting new industry benchmarks for pharmacy dispensing quality. Medco serves the needs of patients with complex conditions requiring sophisticated treatment through its specialty pharmacy operation, which became the nation's largest with the 2005 acquisition of Accredo Health, Incorporated. Medco is the highest-ranked pharmacy benefit manager on the 2006 Fortune 500 list. On the Net: http://www.medco.com/.
