WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday spoke at a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee markup on the corrosive impact of the growing financialization of American health care and social care delivery systems. In his remarks, Murphy outlined how prioritization of profits is undermining programs like Meals on Wheels and eliminating longstanding social benefits important to the wellbeing of seniors and local communities.

Murphy highlighted the importance of the social connection that Meals on Wheels provides to senior citizens across the country: “Sometimes when profit is the only thing that matters, consumers benefit. But it’s often not so when it comes to our health care system. The Meals on Wheels program works not just because it gets food to seniors, but because it connects a neighbor, a community member, with that senior at home. The food keeps the senior alive, but it is often that socialization, that check-in, that daily conversation, that actually has the biggest health impact on that senior citizen.”

He continued, underscoring the consequences of private equity’s growing involvement in health care and social services: “But under our noses, what has happened to the rest of our health care and social care delivery systems is happening in Meals on Wheels. Big for-profit national companies are coming in and gobbling up more of the market. These companies don't send somebody to deliver the meal. They just send the meal in the mail. Now, technically, that is cheaper. Technically, that is more efficient. But it robs that shut-in senior of a really important personal connection. And I think that it speaks to this broader trend in our health care and social care delivery systems in which all we care about is whiteboard efficiency.” 

Murphy concluded: “I think that Meals on Wheels works because we prioritize socialization, not just the efficiency of the delivery of the meal. And I hope it's something that this committee can talk about in the future.”

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

MURPHY: “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to speak for a minute on an amendment that I have that I won't be calling. For the record, count me as someone who wishes that we were having some debate on amendments. I understand the difficult nature of the compromise, but I think it's often pretty healthy for us to sit and contemplate changes in amendments to these very big, important bills. But I wanted to at least speak to an amendment that I was prepared to offer that touches on, I think, a very troubling development in our national meal delivery service.

“I know Senator Sanders is concerned with this, and other members of the committee are concerned with this prioritization of profit and the cult of inefficiency in our health care and social care systems today. Sometimes when profit is the only thing that matters, consumers benefit. But it’s often not so when it comes to our health care system. The Meals on Wheels program works not just because it gets food to seniors, but because it connects a neighbor, a community member, with that senior at home. The food keeps the senior alive, but it is often that socialization, that check-in, that daily conversation, that actually has the biggest health impact on that senior citizen.

“But under our noses, what has happened to the rest of our healthcare and social care delivery systems is happening in Meals on Wheels. Big for-profit national companies are coming in and gobbling up more of the market. These companies don't send somebody to deliver the meal. They just send the meal in the mail. Now, technically, that is cheaper. Technically, that is more efficient. But it robs that shut-in senior of a really important personal connection. And I think that it speaks to this broader trend in our healthcare and social care delivery systems in which all we care about is whiteboard efficiency. 

“I had an amendment that would give priority to local community groups who run much of our Meals on Wheels system but are losing share to national companies—national companies who are unashamedly in this business to make money. The biggest national for-profit Meals on Wheels provider is run by a former private equity [investor] who makes no bones about the fact that he's running that company in order to make money, as much money as possible. I think this committee should take steps to have this important conversation. 

“I’ll just share one last story. My kid doesn’t have a pediatrician because we go to a pediatric practice in which whiteboard efficiency tells them that it's more efficient for us to just see whoever is available on that day. So, we get quicker appointments, they make more money, and the system is technically more efficient. But we don't have a doctor, a pediatrician, that we can build a relationship with, that we can trust—an important part of being a parent.

“I checked as I was getting ready for this markup the other week. My kid's pediatric practice is owned by Goldman Sachs. And so, it makes sense that in order to make money, they are going to build as technically efficient a system as possible. Maybe we can't unwind Wall Street from pediatric practices, but we could have made the decision today to stop the beginning of a trend in Meals on Wheels from becoming the norm. I think that Meals on Wheels works because we prioritize socialization, not just the efficiency of the delivery of the meal. And I hope it's something that this committee can talk about in the future.”

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