For Immediate Release
Tom Daschle Gives Healthcare Reform 50/50 Chance of Passing
Says Congress needs to better understand the role of long-term care in reform debate
Monday, July 20, 2009 —
Speaking today in Washington, DC before more than 100 senior leaders from the nation's long-term care community, former senate majority leader Tom Daschle estimates the prospects of healthcare reform passing later this summer at "50/50." Daschle's comment came at a two-day forum hosted by Medline Industries, Inc. titled "The Quality Summit: A New Era of Quality Assurance in Long-Term Care." The forum was designed to foster an exchange of ideas and a better understanding of the changes taking place in quality assurance in the long-term care environment.
In his keynote speech, Daschle outlined four major factors influencing the bill's viability. The first is agreeing on the cost of reform; second, differences in ideology – the role of government versus the private sector; third, agreement from all major stakeholders, including federal and local governments, doctors, providers, the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry and fourth, the level of presidential leadership. Daschle emphasized that President Obama has said that healthcare reform is his number-one priority, and in order for success, the President must be actively engaged in the debate.
The former senator and author of Critical: What We Can Do About the HealthCare Crisis, addressed the criticism that the issues facing the long-term care industry are not fully understood by Congress. "Unfortunately, today Congress does not sufficiently recognize how long-term care fits in the picture of healthcare reform," he said. He was, however, optimistic that there was an "awakening" among Congress members to the importance of long-term care in healthcare reform.
Daschle offered three ideas on how to elevate the importance of long-term care's role in healthcare reform among policy makers at the national level. The first is to make sure that every nursing home administrator/owner and each state's long-term care association have organized efforts to reach out to their member of Congress' healthcare legislative assistant; two, get the message out within their own communities through the media and three, get engaged politically to help educate policymakers on the issues facing long-term care.
Also speaking at the Quality Summit, which focuses on providing crucial perspective and, more importantly, practical solutions on the fundamental issues facing long-term care professionals, are Andrew Kramer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and head of the Department of Medicine's Health Care Policy and Research Division at the University of Colorado; Mary Ousley, President, Ousley & Associates, and past chair of the American Health Care Association and Keith Krein, M.D., C.M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Kindred Healthcare.
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.