Tom Daschle

Recent momentum toward health care reform and attention to the needs of the nation’s caregiving needs may be temporarily derailed by the departure of Secretary of Health nominee Tom Daschle.

The Associated Press in a story titled “Loss of Daschle Clouds Health Reform Prospects” says, “Tom Daschle’s decision to withdraw his nomination as health and human services secretary clouds hopes that President Barack Obama will make significant progress on health reform in his first 100 days in the White House.”

Ezra Klein of The American Prospect writes, “Every advocacy group and think tank and political operative I’ve called has said the same thing. ‘Well, who have you heard?’ There’s no “B” team. In part, that’s because Daschle was of unique stature for a presidential health policy appointment. …People are trying to think of replacements, but few candidates have the constellation of skills that Daschle did.”

Daschle withdrew his nomination following an admission that he failed to pay about $128,000 in back taxes.

“I will not be the architect of America’s health care reform, but I remain one of its most fervent supporters,” said Daschle, according to the Washington Post.

As we reported in December, Daschle wanted to establish a Federal Health Board, an independent entity like the Federal Reserve. Details of the plan are described in a book called “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis” that Daschle recently co-wrote with Obama’s pick for deputy director of health reform, Jeanne Lambrew.

Daschle’s announcement comes as the Senate debates an $87 billion  increase in Medicaid funding and billions for investments and incentives in health information technology to reduce costs and improve the quality of health care.

Calls for possible replacements for the nominee include:

• Howard Dean, former Vermont Governor, chair of the Democratic National Committee and presidential hopeful, proposed by the Huffington Post.

• A short list of current and former Democratic governors mentioned in a The New York Times story, “Daschle Ends Bid for Post; Obama Concedes Mistake”

• John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress who served as Chief of Staff to President Clnton, first choice of Klein in The American Prospect story. 

While questions remain regarding how to address America’s eldercare crisis, progress is already occurring on the other end of the demographic spectrum. On Feb. 4 Congress passed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which extends health insurance to millions of low-income children.