WWDD — What Will Tom Daschle Do?

Posted by Paul in daschle, health information, healthcare, healthcare spending, hospital quality, hospital safety on 11 24th, 2008 | no responses

The former Senator Tom Daschle has been picked for the HHS top spot, and there’s been some excellent speculation — I mean, coverage about what Daschle might do once in office.   I think we often miss the forest for the trees when we talk in these grand policy terms.  Sure, the healthcare system is broken.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees on that point, but it’s very difficult to agree on how it’s broken.

WWDD?  Let Americans pay for healthcare, regardless of job status, and create a healthcare Federal Reserve to oversee the policies and power of the Federal Healthcare program. 

The conversations we need to have from a policy side are precisely around what kind of healthcare Americans want in this country: the best for all, the best for some, or the most efficient for all?  The solutions look much different for each scenario.

Also from WSJ:  Five Health Myths Busted. 

#2 is a joy for me.  It perfectly represents our natural ability to misjudge trade-offs, but I would temper Mr. Hensley’s position by the simple fact that, at the end of your life, you prefer a few extra years to a Corvette you might have preferred along the way.  (Assuming they’ll still be making those next year, but I digress.) 

And I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing.