It’s hard to start 2009 without the sense that major change is coming in the New Year.
As a number of stories in this week’s news remind us, we’re still reeling from the effects of 2008. Challenges are on the horizon for hospitals and health systems that may face higher contributions to pension plans as weakened investments erode plan asset values, while healthcare philanthropy is also feeling the pinch of diminished portfolios. Older Americans worry they may not be able to afford healthcare costs in 2009.
Yet, regardless of one’s political affiliation, there’s an undeniable sense of anticipation in the air--and perhaps an emerging consensus around the idea that everyone is going to have to work together to start moving forward again--as we prepare for the inauguration of our next president.
Yesterday’s Senate hearings on the confirmation of Tom Daschle as the next Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services is one place where we might see a spirit of bipartisanship taking shape. Mr. Daschle was introduced and endorsed by his former Senate colleague from across the aisle, Bob Dole, and he was given a “welcome home” by Sen. Richard M. Burr (R-N.C.). One observer of the hearings detected common ground on the need to improve healthcare IT and preserve medical care in rural areas, although tougher issues--the proposal for a public insurance option, for example--lie ahead as healthcare reform debates get underway.
And in a speech on the economy delivered yesterday at George Mason University, President-elect Obama urged all Americans “to set a new course for the nation.” He identified health care as a significant component in setting that course, promising immediate investments to ensure that all medical records are computerized within the next five years and pledging to continue bipartisan extensions of healthcare coverage to help Americans through this crisis.
2009 will be an interesting and challenging year. We can all afford to indulge in a little optimism and a spirit of good will as it gets underway.
