Sens. Kennedy, Baucus Pledge Commitment to Health Care Reform in Letter to Obama, Urge Quick Selection of HHS Secretary
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Thursday in a joint letter to President Obama stated that they were "writing to affirm our continuing commitment to enacting comprehensive health care reform this year," and noted the need to move quickly on passing health care overhaul legislation, The Hill reports (Young, The Hill, 2/5). The three-paragraph letter did not include specific plans to achieve that goal (CongressDaily [1], 2/5).The senators wrote, "We have a moral duty to ensure that every American can get quality health care," adding, "Incremental efforts will no longer suffice and we cannot afford to wait any longer. With your continued leadership and commitment, we remain certain that our goal of enacting comprehensive health care reform can be accomplished this year" (Wangsness, "Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 2/5).
According to The Hill, Kennedy and Baucus "want to maintain the momentum they have tried to build over the last several months" while working with various lawmakers and interest groups to begin the efforts to overhaul the health care system (The Hill, 2/5). The senators wrote, "As you have emphasized, we must act now," adding, "The ranks of the uninsured grow larger each day. The cost of health care to families, businesses and government are crippling and, although we spend more on health care than any other country, the quality of care provided by America's health care system is often uneven compared to other industrialized nations" ("Political Intelligence," Boston Globe, 2/5).
Disappointment Over Daschle's Withdrawal
In the letter, Kennedy and Baucus also expressed disappointment that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) -- Obama's initial nominee for HHS secretary -- had decided to withdraw his name from consideration for the post (Armstrong/Hunter, CQ Today, 2/5). "We were saddened to hear about Senator Daschle's decision to withdraw from the nomination process," they wrote, adding, "While we continue to believe that Senator Daschle is highly qualified to hold the position of secretary of Health and Human Services, we respect his decision and wish him all the best in his future endeavors" (Davis, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 2/5).
According to CQ Today, the letter was "designed to undermine the suggestion by some" that Daschle's decision to withdraw "marked a serious setback for health care efforts" (CQ Today, 2/5). CongressDaily reports that some lawmakers have implied that health reform that includes universal coverage could "slip to next year." That thinking "gained traction" this week after Daschle's withdrawal, according to CongressDaily. The letter suggested that Obama needed to act quickly on the selection of a new HHS secretary nominee (CongressDaily [1], 2/5).
Boehner Announces GOP Health Care Reform Task Force
In related news, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday announced the formation of a new Republican task force to develop strategies to improve access to health care as alternatives to a government-run system, CongressDaily reports. Boehner said that former House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) will lead the group, which includes House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Joe Barton (R-Texas), House Committee on Education and Labor ranking member Howard McKeon (R-Calif.), House Budget Committee ranking member Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), House Committee on Ways and Means ranking member Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and 11 other members. The task force will begin meetings this week, Boehner said (CongressDaily [2], 2/5).
