HHS Secretary Azar Issues Remarks at Baxter International Visit

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, Aug. 2 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following remarks by Secretary Alex M. Azar II at the Baxter International visit:

Thanks to the roaring economy under President Trump, there's no better time to be focused on new education and training opportunities for America's workers. At HHS, we do a lot of work to help members of needy families get their first job and achieve self-sufficiency. The Pledge to America's Workers is a key public-private effort to help Americans take the next step and get the skills they need throughout the course of their career.

As Prepared for Delivery

"As a Hoosier, it's an honor to be back here in Indiana, and I'm proud to be here to recognize the commitment Baxter has shown in this state to providing good jobs and promoting medical innovation.

"The hard work and innovative ideas being generated here show why the Trump Administration is proud to partner with companies like Baxter to improve the economy and create jobs for the American people, while also improving healthcare for American patients.

"I first want to thank Baxter for the commitment they've made as part of the Pledge to America's Workers, which marked its one-year anniversary in July.

"July also marked the one-year anniversary of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, which President Trump created to bring the public and private sectors together to get American workers the skills they need to succeed, and counts Governor Holcomb among its members.

"Thanks to the roaring economy under President Trump, there's no better time to be focused on new education and training opportunities for America's workers.

"At HHS, we do a lot of work to help members of needy families get their first job and achieve self-sufficiency.

"The Pledge to America's Workers is a key public-private effort to help Americans take the next step and get the skills they need throughout the course of their career.

"Providing good jobs, good wages, and ongoing training is a key contribution that companies like Baxter can make to support healthier Americans, healthier families, and healthier communities.

"I'm also glad to be here to recognize the role that medical innovation plays in improving American healthcare, especially for sometimes-neglected conditions like kidney disease.

"The President and his administration have heard about the suffering caused by kidney disease especially.

"That's why, as prompted by the President's Executive Order, HHS recently launched a department-wide initiative to improve kidney health, called Advancing Kidney Health in America.

"It is immensely gratifying to be leading HHS in this effort in part because I want to improve the health of those struggling with kidney disease.

"But it's also gratifying because this issue is personal to me. My father suffered from end-stage renal disease before he received a kidney transplant from a generous living donor.

"I've seen firsthand the suffering caused by kidney disease, but I've also seen the hope created by a transplant.

"Leaders across the administration and many components of HHS have been examining this issue for some time now.

"The kidney initiative is a result of hard work and consultation not only with our best academic and policy minds but also with private-sector innovators.

"We need cooperation from every sector to achieve the specific goals we've laid out:

"First, reducing the number of Americans developing end-stage renal disease by 25 percent by 2030; second, having 80 percent of new ESRD patients in 2025 receiving dialysis at home, benefiting from new treatment options, or receiving a transplant; and third, doubling the number of kidneys available for transplant by 2030.

"To accomplish this, we've launched ambitious new payment models that offer incentives to prevent the progression of kidney disease and manage kidney patients' health in a more comprehensive and person-centered way.

"We're also launching another model, known as ESRD Treatment Choices, which will give about half of all dialysis providers new incentives to encourage dialysis in the home.

"This means about 50 percent of Medicare patients with kidney failure will benefit from these expanded options.

"Through public-private partnerships like KidneyX, we'll also support the development of artificial wearable and implantable kidneys, and we'll continue advancing the use of portable dialysis technologies to care for patients during natural disasters.

"Finally, to enhance access to transplantable organs, these payment models will give providers new incentives to help patients actually receive transplants.

"We're also going to reform organ procurement and management systems to significantly increase the supply of transplantable kidneys.

"Supporting private-sector innovation will be at the heart of these efforts.

"That's why, for instance, in Medicare's draft inpatient payment rule for next year, we proposed increasing the add-on payment for new technologies, while also removing some barriers for medical devices to be eligible for this new payment.

"In our 2020 ESRD payment rule, we also proposed to adjust incentives to promote innovation and expand patient access to life-altering technologies.

"We're so pleased to see Baxter and other firms react to the proposals we've already put forth, in support of the new, patient-centered direction the President has laid out.

"I now want to welcome up someone who has a positive story to tell about his experience with at-home kidney care, who represents the kind of experience we want for so many more Americans dealing with this disease.

"So I'll now welcome to the podium Bruce Pleskow, a Baxter employee and ESRD survivor, to share his story.

[Pleskow provides remarks about his personal story.]

"Thank you for sharing your story, Bruce.

"Improving kidney health and getting American patients access to the latest, best technology is a key piece of President Trump's overall vision for a system that provides affordable, patient-centric healthcare.

"That's what we focus on delivering every day at HHS, but I want to close by reminding all of you that you have a key role to play in this vision to improve American healthcare and American health.

"HHS has the power to improve our policies. But building the actual system of care where every American is in control, and receives the quality care they deserve at an affordable cost, has to involve contributions from companies like Baxter too.

"So thank you for the work you do, and keep it up. Together, we're going to deliver much better health for Americans in the years to come.

"I'd now like to turn things back over to Joe [Almeida] for an exciting announcement as they sign the Pledge to America's Workers."