Well, I think that that today's appointment of Tom Daschle to be secretary of health and human services is significant in two ways. First, it's a sign that Obama will pursue real, meaningful, ambitious reform; and second, it shows that he's determined to avoid the mistakes that doomed Hillarycare in the 1990s. Finally, his pick should quiet all the pundit speculation that Obama won't be able to afford the cost or political capital to act quickly and decisively on reform. Daschle wouldn't have taken the job if he didn't think it was a major priority for the new administration.
As one analyst said:
You don't tap the former Senate Majority Leader to run your health care bureaucracy. That's not his skill set. You tap him to get your health care plan through Congress. You tap him because he understands the parliamentary tricks and has a deep knowledge of the ideologies and incentives of the relevant players. You tap him because you understand that health care reform runs through the Senate...
Daschle signals that the Obama administration view health care as a political problem. The key to success is votes. And Daschle is a guy whose last job was lining up votes.
This also is good for EMBRACE, since in his book "Critical" Daschle has proposed a "Healthcare Board" similar to our Board.
Gil
