We just finished reading Senator Thomas Daschle’s book: Critical: What We Can Do About The Health Care Crisis.  This is a must read for anyone interested in the future of American Health Care Reform. Dashle was ably helped by his two co-authors, Scott Greenberger and Jeanne Lambrew. 

This is absolutely one of the best books I have ever read on the ins and outs of American health care reform, written as only an astute insider could do.

Daschle traces the history of health care reform from Roosevelt to Clinton. It is a fascinating history of ideology (“socialized medicine”), stakeholder opposition, and circumstance – such as Kennedy’s assassination and Nixon’s Watergate – derailing health care reform.

Having lived through the Clinton health care reform, I found Senator Daschle’s analysis fascinating in describing the opportunities and players for and against reform. These are lessons to be carefully studied, because even with the current movement and excitement about reform, this support could easily erode as it did last time.  Health care rapidly melted from being almost inevitable to be impossible to pass.

While CodeBlueNow! has not yet endorsed a specific solution, we are seeing many groups and organizations hovering around some key approaches.  From our survey findings in Iowa and Washington, we know the public wants a stronger role in designing and managing a health care system.  There is strong bi-partisan support for public participation with a “public utility model.” This had over 60% support from Republicans; over 80% for Democrats and over 75% for Independents. 

When we asked if they thought the public should have a larger role in designing and managing a new health care system, again, over 50% of all Republicans, 60% of all Democrats and over 55% of all Independents indicated they would support that participation.

Daschle’s solution is a Federal Reserve Board model—an independent agency that is outside of the politics of Congress.  He makes a cogent case for that model by referring the military’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission. 

What comes through loud and clear in his book is why we must not leave health care to Congress and the political dynamics that work against reform and rational coverage and benefit decisions. 

There are many important lessons to be learned from this book.  This book should be required reading for anyone interested in reform and how we can possibly make it successful this time around. 

Cheers and more later.  Kathleen