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GOP Doctor prescribes healthy individual choices, investment in rural healthcare, and support for telehealth

By Daniel Garza, Aidan Clements

Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT) speaks at Center Forward’s Health Summit Summit on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Collaboration between different sides of the aisle can save lives. This was the goal of Center Forward’s Annual Health Summit, convening a bipartisan slate of lawmakers for four substantive panels focused on the state of U.S. healthcare policy. The program spotlighted areas where cross-party cooperation remains possible and essential, and guests looked to the future where innovations and new ways of thinking can create impactful differences in the lives of patients and providers.

Congressman Mike Kennedy (R-UT) joined the Summit to share his insights as a physician and member of the GOP Doctors’ Caucus. Rep. Kennedy discussed his perspective on the challenges facing the U.S. healthcare system. This conversation focused on the various ways individual choices can make a difference in health outcomes. Rep. Kennedy emphasized that certain health issues may not be able to be solved by legislation, but rather a collective effort to incentivize and decrease barriers to making healthy choices. On collaboration between political parties, he stated, “I want complexity because that makes life interesting. Through a diversity of opinions, we can engage and solve complex problems.”

Other topics of conversation included the usage of AI in healthcare and the advancement of telehealth. Rep. Kennedy discussed the range of potential uses for virtual care visits and AI’s ability to clear up the schedules of providers to see more patients. He also noted the utility of these advancements in rural areas where the closest provider may be a significant commute, introducing barriers to receiving care. With telehealth, these barriers could be eliminated, making simple diagnoses more accessible. 

Across the board, speakers emphasized that the healthcare space can still lend itself to bipartisan progress. Center Forward’s Annual Health Summit affirmed that pragmatic solutions can emerge when Members of Congress come together to support innovation, lower costs, and increase access for all Americans.