Healthy Rewards

Tommy Thompson comes storming out of the public sector after 38 years to address what he sees as the nation's chief issue: health care.

Thompson, the ex-secretary of Health and Human Services under the Bush Admin. and the former governor of Wisconsin, follows in the footsteps of former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who now heads the non-profit Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative.

Unlike O'Neill, Thompson's endeavor is anything but non-profit. He becomes the independent chair of the Deloitte Center for Health Care Management and Transformation, with a particular eye on developing solutions for high-paying clients.

Thompson has the ear of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger, both of whom were in the audience for a recent speech to the Detroit Regional Chamber. Gettelfinger met privately with Thompson afterward.

Thompson sees the auto industry as essential to a national solution that preserves privatized health care. He says Detroit is covering the medical-care bill for millions of Americans and insists key initiatives are being neglected.

He criticizes the U.S. health-care infrastructure as being overly centered on crisis management and not focused on stemming health problems before they become chronic conditions.

Thompson claims 125 million Americans have one or more chronic illnesses and 70% of deaths are attributed to such sickness.