There's been a lot of discussion on the Plan B choices for Health and Human Services Secretary and National Health Czar. Besides dKos' many prognosticators, the discussion at Blue Oregon has been incessant.
This morning on the FP DemfromCT wrote a great piece that's been discussed on B.O. for nearly a week now, but it hit half the
If we're looking to get the Obama Administration on board to do more than just smoothing out the health care system (and get an overhauling reform of its processes), then looking for a linchpin champion seems a perfunctory effort given the massive field of options.
The job's big. Split the jobs of HHS and Health Czar where the Secretary does the Senate Committee work and the Czar works the policy and management of the system.
This Oregonian believes the prescription can be filled with Senator Ron Wyden and former Oregon Governor, Dr. John Kitzhaber.
Daschle's many boons and faults stem from his past positions and associations. Whether they were regarding his tenure as Senator for South Dakota, speaking for health insurance companies or lobbying administrations for improvements/changes to the health care system, he was a mostly-known factor and easy fire for both advocate and critic alike.
Senator Wyden has been working with Dr. Kitzhaber for over a decade and there's a natural report already established. Plus, in a strangely serendipitous way Senator Wyden's path has been well prepared for this job for years now.
The Healthy Americans Act hits most all of the high points that the OHP missed and includes enough funding and options to keep both the financiers, clinicians and politicians content enough to let the patients to the decision making. Wyden's reputation in the Senate has been near-entirely positive and this makes him the Washington connection need to translate between a would-be mistake of putting all hopes on Dr. Kitzhaber in the Secretary role.
Some of Dr. Kithaber's high points not covered by DemfromCT would include knowing that anyone who's lived in -- or in an adjacent State to -- Oregon for past decade are aware of the epic failures and somewhat successful attempts to get the Oregon Health Plan to cover the hundreds of thousands of the State's uninsured population. Having not followed the process to get the National Waivers to instill this plan, then-Governor Kitzhaber went on with the plan anyway despite the shortfall in funds to cover the many that it was intended to cover. Lesson learned, and the OHP's failings have both helped and hindered the Oregon health system in the years since its passing into law. Dr. K.'s a doer and knows when to work policy into action.
Additionally, I would argue that this Wyden/Kitzhaber mix is the exact pairing of insider/outsider needed to keep the perspectives of Washington, D.C. and Hometown, U.S.A. in the minds of all involved in the health care system reform process.
The catch, however, is two-fold:
- Dr. K. isn't terribly interested in a Washington job. I know the guy to a certain extent having met him on several occasions professionally and anecdotally, and he's much more interested in his family and State. It would take a matter of "Your President is asking you to serve your country"-talk to get him in as Czar.
- Ron Wyden's move into the HHS job would come at an expense to Oregon's electorate. It would also open up something new for Kossacks to talk about: Another election. Oregon doesn't let its Governor appoint a "successor" to a vacant Senate seat. We hold a special election (Or. Rev. Stat. §188.120 - 2001). We would then have two low-tier Senators (Jeff Merkley defeating Gordon Smith last November) and that means giving up Wyden's 38th place in seniority. Yet it may be worth it if either Pete DeFazio (D-OR4) or Merkley's Primary opponent, Steve Novick, ran.
This is a chance for Oregon to offer two, bright and talented advocates for the two jobs that would bring an even balance of their work ethics, experiences and knowledge to the lives of the health-needing and health-providing people of our country.
Oregonian patients equate two names to Statewide health reform: Kitzhaber and Wyden.
Mr. President: Take two Oregonians and call Governor Kulongoski in the morning.
*** UPDATE ***
According to OPB News, Dr. Kitzhaber's ruling out the HHS job.
Kitzhaber says he’d rather focus on his current role out of government.
John Kitzhaber: "I don’t think that running the agency is necessarily the same as reforming the health care system. My real interest is in the reform effort myself. And I have some very definite ideas about what the problem is and how to address it. And I’m very anxious to see if we can get those ideas into play."
Also, he apparently doesn't mind being called a "loose cannon" by FOX Commentators.
Well, I continue to argue that he's not for the HHS gig. That leaves Wyden in the running and a possible (yet very unlikely) role for Dr. K. as Health Czar.