We locals didn't make it to the AcademyHealth conference because of the snow but our colleague, Leif Haase, who flew in to DC from New America's California branch before the storm, got over there yesterday and emailed us a rundown of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's speech. He says she was "pretty categorical" about the need for health reform -- comprehensive health reform.
"The president and his administration are as committed," she insisted, "to delivering on health reform as they have ever been -- not just for our citizens, but for our economy." Americans may be confused, even disgusted, with the Congressional process, but when the key elements of the reform legislation are explained, the public overwhelmingly supports them.
Sebelius also made a forceful plea for delivery reform and cost containment as part and parcel of "comprehensive" reform. She argued that "we need to tackle the underlying causes of our costs," and added, "If we just add 45 million people to the existing system, we won't have made any progress."
In that vein she urged getting the GOP to reengage. We'll see if the Feb. 25 summit will be a start.
Leif said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle was also quite interesting. His state has gotten to 93 percent coverage without a mandate, and they have been trying to set up a state-based exchange. We'll try to post more on Wisconsin soon.
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