WASHINGTON — The rebuilding of the nation's health care structure will be led by former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle in a dual role as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and director of the newly formed White House Office of Health Reform, President-elect Barack Obama announced last week.
Calling Daschle the "lead architect" of the reform plan, Obama also announced Jeanne Lambrew as the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Lambrew, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas, was Daschle's co-author on a book on health care called "Critical: What We Can Do about the Health Care Crisis," and also worked on health policy in the Clinton administration.
In making the announcements, Obama tagged health care as a high priority even in the face of the nation's collapsing financial structure.
"Year after year, our leaders offer up detailed health care plans with great fanfare and promise, only to see them fall, derailed by Washington politics and influence peddling," Obama said. "This simply cannot continue."
He added, "It's not something that we can put off because we are in an emergency. This is part of the emergency."
For his part, Daschle, in remarks at the press conference announcing his appointment, said fixing health care "is—and has been for many years—our largest domestic policy challenge. We have the most expensive health care system in the world, but we are not the healthiest nation in the world. Our growing costs are unsustainable, and the plight of the uninsured is unconscionable."
Daschle will waste no time plunging into the system's reform. Earlier, he announced that the Obama administration would seek public input on health care reform from citizens via community meetings and house parties to be held across the country beginning today and continuing through Dec. 31. Daschle said last week that he would be attending some of those meetings.
Anyone can sign up to hold a meeting by registering on Obama's transition Web site. Those signing up can get a special moderator kit to get the discussion going. Data from the meetings will be published on the Web site.
Walt Gorski, vice president of government relations for the American Association for Homecare, applauded the idea.
"At these types of meetings, people typically outline problems," he said. "What this will do is show the shortcomings for those who have insurance as well as highlight the horrific stories of people who do not have insurance and face health problems."
Gorski and others also noted that the meetings could provide forums for the HME industry to get its message out.
"These forums will be an opportunity for us to raise awareness of HME and also highlight some of our broad themes, such as the value we bring to patients," Gorski said. He added that even though it is unlikely the industry would be able to drill down to issues like competitive bidding and the 36-month oxygen rental cut, the forums "provide a very good opportunity to raise our issues."
Cara Bachenheimer, senior vice president of government relations for Elyria, Ohio-based Invacare, said industry stakeholders need to seize the opportunity to educate Obama and his staff about home care.
"There are new audiences, fresh faces," she said, adding that many of those who had negative views of home care will be gone with the new administration. She suggested that providers not only take part in the town hall meetings but that they involve patients to help tell the HME story.
"Bring somebody who is an actual user of oxygen or a mobility device," she advised. "That would be great. Keep the message simple. Talk about how people prefer to be cared for in their homes. Make it personal."
The town hall meetings offer the HME industry not only a place at the table but also a view of a developing health reform plan, according to Seth Johnson, vice president for government affairs for Pride Mobility Products, Exeter, Pa.
The process that Obama's team has set into play, he said, offers transparency and will allow the industry to "monitor the health care plan to make sure that any future plan does not limit or insufficiently cover DME. I see it as a real significant opportunity for the industry to work with the new administration."
Both Johnson and Bachenheimer said they believe Daschle will bring a good understanding of home health care to the HHS office.
"I am very confident that we are going to have a friendly ear in Tom Daschle in articulating our message and promoting and seeing the benefits of home care included in future health reform plans," Johnson said.
That Daschle will have his hands full with his two jobs is likely an understatement. In addition to an overhaul of the health care system, broad changes in the way Medicare and Medicaid are administered are expected, as are changes in the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
For the HME industry, controversy over the looming 36-month oxygen cap, the 9.5 percent reimbursement cut in 10 Medicare product categories and the probable return of competitive bidding are all likely to involve Daschle somehow.
Meanwhile, Obama's call for public input on health care has prompted member services organization VGM Group to schedule a town hall meeting in Waterloo, Iowa. The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the company's corporate headquarters at 1111 W. San Marnan Drive.
The member services group has invited Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, and Republican Sen. Charles Grassley and Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley to attend, as well as area hospital administrators, referral sources, physicians and Medicare beneficiaries.
"VGM has been serving the home health care marketplace for 20 years and the American people, and [is] happy to participate in the conversation about health care reform," said Van G. Miller, CEO and founder.