Michael Barone

Major Healthcare Overhaul Less Likely for Obama Now Than When Daschle Pulled Out

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February 23, 2009 RSS Feed Print
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By Michael Barone, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

The White House may abolish its health czar position before it is even filled. According to this Politico article, Barack Obama is reluctant to hire Nancy Ann Min DeParle for this post. Actually, she's highly qualified. She was head of HCFA (now CMS) in the Clinton administration. But she's also held some private sector positions since then that apparently make Obama wary about her. Which raises the question: where do you find highly qualified people who haven't had any experience in the private sector? This leads me to suspect that the chances for major health care legislation are even less than when Tom Daschle withdrew from his nominations to be HHS Secretary and White House health czar.

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healthcare,
healthcare reform

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President Obama spoke to the American Academy of Family Physicians almost immediately after the election to give the impression that he was interested in real health care reform. Then he ofered the position of Surgeon General to a neurosurgeon/journalist. His words reflect what we want to hear; his actions reveal that he is interested in status quo--especially making sure that the underlying emphasis on procedural medicine along with the elevation of the surgeon as the "real doctor" rather than the specialized technician that the field really generates. Reform has to start with a return to and a commitment to excellent family medicine--which has been shown to decrease costs and increase health in multiple countries and systems. That must start with a prominent change in the focus of American Health care.

Maybe its better if he never gets to "health care reform".....

MontanaMountainWoman of MT 2:40AM February 26, 2009

experience in the private sector, including the President.

This "White House Gang" understands government and believes that it is the answer to most, if not all problems.

Bad sign for the future of our country and capitalism.

CHANGE - CHANGE - CHANGE - CHANGE - CHANGE - CHANGE

Wake up sheep!

Larry of CA 1:21PM February 23, 2009

Michael Barone

Michael Barone

Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications—including the Economist and the New York Times.

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