Former Senator Daschle addresses HDMA meeting in Orlando on health reform

Former Senator Daschle spoke today at the HDMA annual leadership meeting in Orlando, FL and indicated that health reform has moved to the next level and says the odds of seeing it pass this year are greater than 50/50. He pointed to key areas of consensus to the reforms being proposed but acknowledged that debate on issues such as the public option have taken focus away from areas of consensus.

He spoke to the three major areas of reform:

• Insurance Reform -- this is the area of consensus and where the proposed health reforms will have the biggest impact
• Payment Reform -- spoke that this is the hardest area and where we have made mistakes int the past; reforms proposed begin to help create new models but it would be more than a decade before those efforts have significant impact
• Delivery Reform -- this is also a challenging issue and like payment reform will take a much longer time to develop

Daschle commented that the Senate Finance Committee work has been the most important work on health reform and that the Senate work will be the most likely vehicle for health reform. He commented that it could include health care co-ops and perhaps even triggers related to public options as proposed by Olympia Snowe (R-ME).

When asked about the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) bill which was separately proposed in the Senate this week he did predict that it has better than even odds to pass separately. This will be voted by the Senate on Monday.