HEALTH REFORM: Daschle Testifies before Senate HELP to Open 111th Congress

If the first hearing of the 111th Congress is any indication, and we hope it is,  health care is at the top of the congressional agenda.

This morning, former Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle appeared before the Senate HELP committee to discuss his nomination as President-elect Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The hearing was a homecoming for Daschle, as well as celebration of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)'s return to the Chair of the Senate HELP committee. Daschle's formal confirmation process will go through the Senate Finance committee, which has yet to release a schedule.

Daschle was introduced by a former Senate colleague and fellow veteran of  the failed 1993-94 health reform effort, Bob Dole, whose Republican credentials set a bipartisan tone for the hearing. Daschle 's opening remarks should be familiar to those who've heard his health care stump speech. In addition to making the case for health reform, Daschle laid out his vision for the agencies that will be under his direction such as the FDA. Closing with one of his favorite quotes, Daschle added a new twist:

One of my favorite quotes is from Nelson Mandela. Referring to apartheid, he once said, "Some things seem impossible, until they are done." He could have been talking about health reform because, for generations now, it has seemed an impossible goal. But this time the cost of failure is simply too high. This time, working together, Democrats and Republicans it no longer has to be impossible. This time, it can be done.

Video of the hearing is available here and you can read the New York Time's Kate Phillips live-blog of the event here.

In a decidedly congenial question and answer period, Daschle told Senator Mike Enzi, the ranking Republican from Wyoming, that he wouldn't try to use the budget resolution process or the stimulus package to pass health reform. If nothing else, such statements help build space for continued bipartisan discussion.

Previewing the hearing, the New York Times had speculated the brewing debate on whether a reformed health care system should have both public and private health plan options. (To oversimplify, many Democrats favor having both, while Republicans tend to favor the private option, but views as well as battle lines are still evolving.) But many of the questions Daschle faced took a broader focus, touching on topics ranging from drug safety to rural health to how to keep America healthy. Daschle told the committee, "Wellness has to be cool and prevention has to be a hot thing."

The Republican National Committee released a set of news clips before the hearing highlighting — unfavorably —Daschle's role in the Clinton era reform efforts. But as NPR's Joanne Silberner reported this week, the Obama administration has made it point not to repeat the Clinton mistakes. In a similar vein, today's Politico notes that  Daschle has so far taken a much different approach to health reform, trying to build a grass roots momentum and allowing Congress (not the White House)  to take the lead on legislation. As Daschle told the committee:

When health care reform collapsed in 1994, I remember all the criticisms people had after the fact. They said it took too long, they said the process was too opaque, they said the plan was too hard to understand, and they said the changes felt too dramatic.

These are good arguments for undertaking reform in a way that is aggressive, open, and responsive to Americans' concerns. They are not good arguments for ignoring the problem.

Let's hope this chapter has a happier ending.