First let me state unequivocally that I have tremendous respect for Governor Dean. His 50 state strategy was vital in Obama's victory as well has gains in the House and Senate. The reason I do not want Dean as HHS secretary is that I want Universal health care even more and this simply will never be accomplished with Dean at the helm. The truth is that even though Democrats will be able set the policy and frame work for health care equality, and final bill will need bi-partisan support to reach Obama's desk. You can slice it any way you want it but the only person on The GOP's hit list above Obama is Dean, so there is absolutely no possible way Republicans will ever give Dean such a victory.
There are other issues I have with Dean as well, first of all I firmly believe that the architect of a national health care policy needs to be an advocate, not a politician. Many can talk about Dean being a doctor, but the truth is that he has not formally practiced medicine since becoming Governor in 1991. I greatly admire him for his political courage, but hardly consider him a health care advocate.
Again, its not so much against Dean as it is for a leader with grass roots activism experience that will ensure that our voices are not drowned out when Pharma, Hospitals and the AMA come to the table. My recommendation for HHS Secretary is Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA;
Ron Pollack is the Founding Executive Director of Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers. Families USA’s mission is to achieve high-quality, affordable health coverage for everyone in the U.S.
Families USA’s numerous reports and analyses – on such matters as health coverage for the uninsured and underinsured, Medicaid, Medicare, prescription drug issues, long-term care, and others – are frequently cited at Congressional hearings, in state legislatures, by the media, and by consumer organizations that Families USA works with all across the country.
Mr. Pollack’s work has been recognized through various honors. The Hill, a weekly newspaper covering Congress and their staffs, named Mr. Pollack one of the nine top nonprofit lobbyists. Modern Health care named Mr. Pollack one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care. National Journal named him one of the top 25 players in Congress, the Administration, and the lobbying community on Medicare prescription drug benefits.
In 1997, Mr. Pollack was appointed by President Clinton as the sole consumer representative on the Presidential Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. In that capacity, Mr. Pollack helped prepare the Patients’ Bill of Rights that has been enacted by many state legislatures.
Mr. Pollack was also the Founding Executive Director of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a leading national organization focused on eliminating hunger in the U.S. Two of his notable accomplishment at FRAC include: (1) arguing two successful cases on the same day in the U.S. Supreme Court to secure food aid for low-income Americans; and (2) the successful federal litigation that resulted in the creation of the WIC program for malnourished mothers and infants.
Mr. Pollack received his law degree from New York University where he was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow.
Health Care advocates have seldom seen such a tenacious proponent for true universal coverage and defender of the health care consumer. He gets it! He understand that health care is an inalienable right and the problem of the uninsured a moral outrage. Yet he still has the fortitude to understand how to get things done in Washington. Since 1982 he and Families USA have been in the forefront of any and all health care equality battles that have taken place in Washington DC. From defending Medicaid and CHIP from cuts to the impact bad health care policy has had on working families, Ron Pollack has been on our side. President Obama, this is what we need!
Check out the KFF Video to learn more on Ron's views;
Also if you've never been to a Families USA's Health Action Conference it's where members of Congress and those who wish to be president some day come to hear the voice of the people in regards to health care. I highly advise you to go!