Optimism Grows Among Experts That Obama Will Act Quickly On Health Care

[Idealism]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Optimism Grows Among Experts That Obama Will Act Quickly On Health Care
By Greg Sargent - November 19, 2008, 3:26PM

After an earlier round of hand-wringing about whether President-elect Obama would push off health care reform out of fear of its economic and political costs, some experts and advocates in the field are increasingly optimistic that the incoming president will in fact act decisively and ambitiously to pursue reform in his first year.

These experts point to several very recent rapid-fire developments to justify their hopes, first among them the announcement today that Obama has tapped Tom Daschle as secretary of Health and Human Services.

Richard Kirsch, the national campaign manager for Health Care for America Now, a leading umbrella group of health care advocates, unions and providers, points out that Daschle has repeatedly talked about the imperative of acting fast on health care reform lest Obama's mandate be spent in other areas.

"Daschle has talked for awhile about the need to do this early," Kirsch tells me, recounting that Daschle stressed this in a meeting with him as long as a year ago. Kirsch adds that there are mounting signs that the Obama team "understands that because of the enormity of doing health care, because it's the hardest thing to do, they need their mandate the most for it."



Read more: http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/optimism_grows_among_experts_t.php

---

This is why we need every vote (traitor included). We need this passed and the only time able to do it will be early in the presidency, same as taxes. I hate to say it but we need the guy, no matter how many of us feel.

[bluestateguy]

1. Health care should be part of the economic recovery

If we wait until 2010 it will be an election year and will be harder to get done.

[Oregone]

2. Is quick action or proper action needed here?

Honestly, I think we are going to see health care "change" to more of the same.

[desktop]

3. Unless insurance companies are done away with and mandatory price controls started

Nothing significant will be accomplished. Maybe a few people at the very bottom could get some small help. The health care system is bleeding America and it's people dry. Mandatory purchase of insurance is useless if the costs are astronomical and just keep rising, and a few tax breaks only help the well off. The health care system is a scam that can only be fixed by nationalization and then every step of it price controlled. The country will never do it. The insurance companies, the hospitals, the doctors, the drug makers, and every medical stock holder will just ramp up the bribes to congress, and nothing will dramatically change. Socialized medicine is the only way, and band aids will only fool the people to keep quiet and go along with the national bankruptcy.