The New York Times (1/8, A21, Pear) reports on the "sharp" questioning that Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle is likely to face regarding "his call for a new public health insurance plan to compete with private insurers" during his Senate confirmation hearing, scheduled for tomorrow. The Times paints this issue as emblematic of "the political and philosophical differences between Mr. Obama and Republicans," noting that Daschle "supports the concept of 'a government-run insurance program modeled after Medicare.' It would, he says, give consumers, especially the uninsured, an alternative to commercial insurance offered by companies like Aetna, Humana, and WellPoint." This concept, however, is "anathema" to the GOP and insurance sector, who feel that they would be at a disadvantage to the government healthcare plan.
The Hill (1/8, Young) portrays the hearing as a return for Daschle from his "stunning departure from the Senate" four years ago, noting that "times have changed" since his party's losses in 2004, referring to the current Democratic majority in the upper chamber. "Moving from the dais to the witness table, Daschle will find himself facing senators with whom he soon will be negotiating on behalf of the White House." The Hill suggests that opponents of Obama's healthcare reform plans will seek rhetoric from within Daschle's 2008 book "Critical: What We Can Do About the HealthCare Crisis," adding that "senators from both parties are likely to pepper Daschle with questions about his and Obama's views on their own pet projects and issues, the litany of which ought to be familiar to the former Democratic leader." Nonetheless, the Hill predicts that Daschle "should sail through confirmation.
CQ (1/7, Wayne) reported that although Daschle's hearing is "likely to center more on President-elect Barack Obama's plans to remake the healthcare system than on Daschle's personal history and qualifications for the job," some Republicans may ask about his and his wife's lobbying work. CQ notes that Daschle could well "relish" any questions about healthcare policy, since in his book, he "describes health policy as a longtime favorite topic. Republicans have attempted to mine the book for statements that could conflict with Obama's public statements about his health overhaul proposal."
The Financial Times (1/8, Ward) also mentions Daschle's upcoming hearing in an article about GOP resistance to "Eric Holder, Barack Obama's choice for attorney-general."
Report says fraud, inaccurate billing will be top challenges for next HHS secretary. Modern Healthcare (1/8, DoBias) reports, "Safeguarding Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) from fraudulent and otherwise inaccurate billing tops the list of administrative challenges that the next" Health and Human Services (HHS) "secretary will face in 2009, according to the agency's inspector general's office." Combined, "the three programs account for roughly $611.5 billion in federal spending." The report also listed "oversight of Medicare's prescription-drug program, quality of care, and emergency preparedness and response," as other top priorities for HHS. The office noted that "improper payments range from reimbursement for services provided but inadequately documented and inadvertent mistakes to outright fraud and abuse."
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