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Crisis Makes Daschle's Roles Challenging
USA Today
December 13, 2008
Health care experts expressed both hope and doubt Thursday after hearing President-elect Barack Obama say the economic crisis won’t stop him from seeking a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system.
The nation’s capital is, after all, where such overhauls come to die. The last time was 1994, when President Clinton’s plan, written in large part by first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, collapsed in Congress. Health care initiatives by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon met similar fates.
One difference this time is the growing consensus that something must be done to control rising costs and expand coverage to many of the 46 million Americans without insurance. Another difference, however, is the economic crisis that has resulted in even less money to do that.
To bridge the gap between those who want greater government involvement, as Obama does, and those who want health care delivery left to the private sector, Obama chose former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle to direct the federal effort. If confirmed by the Senate, Daschle will lead the Department of Health and Human Services and a new White House Office of Health Reform.
Daschle, 61, is best known for his 10 years as Senate Democratic leader until South Dakota voters turned him out of office in 2004. Just before becoming leader, however, he devoted much of his energy to passing Clinton’s health care initiative, only to see it die in the Senate.
The need is far greater now. “Our growing costs are unsustainable, and the plight of the uninsured is unconscionable,” Daschle said upon being introduced in Chicago. “Addressing our health care challenges will not only mean healthier and longer lives for millions, it will also make American companies more competitive, address the cause of half of all of our personal bankruptcies and foreclosures, and help pull our economy out of its current tailspin.”
In naming Daschle and his designated deputy, Jeanne Lambrew, a former health policy analyst in the Clinton administration, Obama said overhauling health care must go hand in hand with righting the economy — even if it requires “additional dollars to pay for some investments in the short term.”
