Tom Daschle is a former Senator who will be President Elect Obama’s Secretary of Health and Humana Services. We have some insights into what Daschle might do in his new role since he recently published a book about health reform.
Mr. Daschle said that Americans who want to keep employer sponsored group health insurance should be able to and that people should also be able to buy health insurance from the a large pool similar to that which covers federal employees.
Interestingly, Daschle also thinks that all Americans should be required to buy health insurance. In the past President Elect Obama has supported this mandate for children, but not for the general populace.
Mr. Daschle also calls for a Federal Health Board that would be independent and have authority over federal health care programs. The Federal Health Board would not regulate the private insurance market, although it would define the terms by which private insurance companies could participate in the proposed large insurance pool.
Significantly, the Board would assess the effectiveness and cost of various treatments to try and achieve increased efficiency.
