All Hands on Deck

Throughout the healthcare debate, one voice has been noticeably quiet – that of Vice President Joe Biden. A former colleague of President Obama’s in the Senate and champion of the middle-class, Biden has been at the forefront of reform efforts in healthcare during the past.  I personally saw Biden shift into an unknowing leader on healthcare in 1987 when I served as his Health Policy Advisor for his Presidential campaign.  He would travel to New Hampshire and Iowa, returning with more questions on healthcare than any other topic.  It was his turning point for being engaged in the issues.  But, as Vice President, he has been notably absent from the debate, focused instead on the administration’s foreign policy efforts.  This past week represented a shift when Biden added his voice to the ongoing healthcare conversation Tuesday in a speech to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in Maryland.

While calling for a tighter regulation of the industry, Biden argued that the proposed changes would increase profitability for insurance companies while decreasing the cost of care for the American people.  He directly challenged the notion that a publically funded health insurance option would take the private insurance market out of business. “Not true,” said Biden, arguing that the industry will actually make gains under the President’s proposal.  The rationale is that a mandate for all Americans to have health insurance coverage will create more customers for insurance companies and thereby increase profitability.

He went on to argue that with increased profitability comes increased responsibility, so companies will be prevented from declining patients with preexisting conditions and dropping them when they become ill.  Clearly, the Vice President’s remarks were intended to reassure the industry…or so it seemed… 

The issue of cost and affordability was highlighted in the speech along with the results of the Kaiser Family Foundation study where new numbers were released this past week illustrating an average premium increase of 5.5 percent during a period of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  Biden noted that this represents the staggering cost of healthcare and must be addressed when he told the audience, “This is simply an unsustainable position.”

Not only did Biden emerge as a key figure in the ongoing healthcare debate, but the “all hands on deck” was evident when Michelle Obama gave her own healthcare speech to women last Friday.  The First Lady stepped into the fray with aides noting that she will maintain a “dedicated focus” on healthcare reform in the coming weeks and months.  The new approach reverts back to a campaign mentality with big-name surrogates for President Obama speaking on his behalf all across the country on the need for healthcare reform. 

In many respects this takes us back to my introduction – Oh, by the way, Mr. President – are we taking on too many issues?  By broadening the healthcare reform team to include the “Whole Family,” Mr. Obama may be able to keep the leverage going on his cornerstone domestic issues while dealing with the unexpected – but not unanticipated – international issues brewing on the horizon.  For those of us who believe healthcare reform is in everyone’s best interests, let’s hope the strategy works…

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.