Barack Obama confirmed last week that Tom Daschle, a former leader of Democrats in the Senate, will be his secretary of health and human services. Worth noting, Mr Daschle will also head a new White House office of health reform. In other areas of action, including economic policy, leadership under the new president will be divided between one or more agency heads and a White House co-ordinator/adviser. In health policy, second only to the president, Mr Daschle will be in charge.
He is a good choice. He combines years of experience in Washington with longstanding expertise in health policy. He watched at close hand as the last big effort to reform US healthcare – the project led by Hillary Clinton in 1993 – came to nothing. He thinks he knows why that project failed and how to do better next time. And he has just published a book on the subject: Critical: What We can Do About the Healthcare Crisis.
Reforming US healthcare is a heroic undertaking, crucial to long-term economic prospects. Now, on top of all the difficulties that sank the Clinton plan, healthcare reform must bid for financial and political resources against the vast outlays that the recession will pre-empt. What are Mr Daschle’s chances?
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