Tom Daschle Named to the Head of the Department of Health and Human Services

Today, President-Elect Barack Obama named fellow Democrat Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Daschle has accepted the position and will face the tough road of being confirmed. Daschle role as the secretary of Health and Human Services will be important to Obama's campaign platform; Daschle will have a hand in trying to expand and reform health care as Obama promised leading up to the election. Daschle just wrote a book about reforming health care, so he is expected to bring experience and knowledge to the role of secretary of Health and Human Services.

Obama has a specific plan for health care reform which sounds nice in theory but is completely unrealistic. If you think it is realistic, just ask our friends in Canada or England how they enjoy their health care services. Daschle's appointment to the Department of Health and Human Services is just putting another like minded, pro-socialist in position to push new policies through Congress.

Obama's health care plan is bad for America. We don't need more legislation to invest in new health care technology. Many hospitals already realize that paperwork is unnecessary and cumbersome; many hospitals already incorporate computerized records into the way they treat patients. Hospitals are understaffed as it is and they are constantly looking for ways to improve submitting claims, storing medical records which improves the treatment that patients receive.

Obama's plan to improve access to "proven disease management programs" is just more fancy language. Insurance companies offer disease management programs, health assessments and many other preventative tools to get members to manage a disease before it gets out of hand. Obama's plan is to "coordinate and integrate care" almost like he wants to make everyone take part in disease assessment so the government has more control over your individual health care rights.

Everyone wants quality health care, but employers shouldn't be expected to carry the full weight of the cost of quality insurance. If Obama's administration would commit to stopping health care fraud, then costs would automatically adjust to the fluctuation in the market. Identity theft does not stop with credit cards; people who have access to your personal information also have access to get health insurance in your name, receive benefits in your name and this contributes to skyrocketing rates across the board. Eliminate fraud and health care costs will adjust back to a reasonable rate.

Tom Daschle needs to commit to reducing waste and eliminating fraud in order to reform health care. Health care costs could be reasonably addressed if insurance companies would be reasonable in the coverage offered to members. For instance, insurance companies would rather pay to treat the complications of diabetes rather than the cost of a gastric bypass which has been shown to be an effective treatment to reverse the co-morbidities associated with obesity and diabetes.