Daschle to Be Nominated as HHS Secretary
Tom Daschle, a former Senate majority leader and a confidant of President-elect Barack Obama, is expected to be nominated as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), The Washington Post reported this week.
Daschle will take on a much broader role as the administration's health policy chief, several sources close to the transition team told the newspaper
The early selection of Daschle, who until recently was not known as an expert on health policy, is recognition of the central role he played in Obama's political ascension and a signal that the incoming president wants an experienced Washington insider to move comprehensive health legislation through Congress, the Post reported.
"Having Senator Daschle at HHS and as the point person for the Obama administration on health care would only improve the chances of" enacting health reform, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, who is seeking such legislation, told the newspaper.
If confirmed by the Senate, Daschle will take over a $707.7 billion department with nearly 65,000 employees spread across 11 operating divisions. As Secretary of HHS, Daschle would be under pressure to revitalize the Food and Drug Administration and bring financial stability to Medicare and Medicaid, and move away from what many researchers have complained is the ideologically driven scientific agenda of the Bush administration, the Post report noted.
For Daschle, the more intriguing challenge may come in his yet-to-be-named role as the administration’s highest-ranking health policy adviser, the report added.
When President Bill Clinton attempted a widespread overhaul of the U.S. health care system in 1993, he turned to his wife -- not the HHS secretary -- to lead the effort, the Post report said. Daschle, who watched the death of the Clinton health care bill closely, did not want a repeat of that experience, the report added.
While he weighed his own political future, Daschle handed over to Obama dozens of his most trusted aides and political supporters, a gift that continues to pay dividends, the newspaper said.
"Barack Obama is filling his administration with longtime Washington insiders," Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, told the Post. "For voters hoping to see new faces and fewer lobbyist connections in government, Daschle's nomination will be another disappointment."
What do you think? Is this a good pick for HHS, especially seeing that another consideration was former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who is a practicing physician? Let me know what you think. Send me your thoughts at rmitchell@advanceweb.com.