Obama's Plans for Health Care Reform: New FDA, Stem Cell Law Veto

by Terri Potratz | November 10, 2008 at 03:55 pm

643 views | 2 Recommendations | 5 comments

President-elect Barack Obama made some hefty promises with regards to American health care reform during his campaign for presidency. His plans outlined the implementation of lower health insurance premiums and raised accessibility for all Americans, health insurance for all children, and the requirement that most businesses provide at least some health care insurance to their employees.

When Obama was elected, there was some initial skepticism as to when these plans would be mobilized, especially given the current economic crisis facing America and the world:

"I have no inside track, but I would bet that in this economic climate it is far more likely that changes will be phased in over time," says Karen Davis, president of the health policy and research group Commonwealth Fund.

But so far, Obama has been anything but inactive over the past week since winning the election. John Podesta, who was appointed by Obama to oversee his transition process into the White House, announced that the president-to-be would use his new power to immediately enforce sweeping changes, such as overturning Bush's ban on stem-cell research:

"I think across the board, on stem cell research, on a number of areas, you see the Bush Administration even today moving aggressively to do things that I think are probably not in the interest of the country," Mr Podesta said. "There's a lot that the President can do using his executive authority without waiting for Congressional action, and I think we'll see the President do that," he said.

Podesta singled out restrictions applied by George Bush, in 2001, on federal funding of stem cell research, as well as recent moves by the White House to dilute environmental protections against oil drilling, as two areas in which quick action may be taken.

According to the Washington Post, a team of about 50 Obama advisers have worked for months identifying some 200 Bush policies that are possible targets. Other areas of action may include reproductive rights, food and drug regulation and immigration enforcement.

News that the FDA is expected to receive a face-lift after a year of tainted foods and drugs flooding the consumer market was released just a day after Obama was appointed President-elect.

Senate Democrats could seek support from across the aisle to push several bills opposed by industry, and use hearings and investigations to shine the spotlight on drug companies and the FDA.

Congress has a lengthy agenda for FDA overhaul. Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has introduced tough legislation that would add new fees on imports to help pay for more inspections of foreign country-based plants and incoming drugs and food. Also, congressional Democrats want to give the FDA oversight of tobacco products. The bill would create a separate wing at the FDA and set up strict regulations for U.S. cigarette and smokeless-tobacco makers involving marketing and the development of new goods.

A big challenge facing a new FDA administrator will be rebuilding the agency's staff of scientists. An advisory committee warned this year that the FDA lacks scientists with experience in biologics and cell-based therapies.

While immediate changes do seem to be on the agenda, many predict that Obama will play the slow and steady card with regards to bigger health coverage issues:

The future of the Democratic Party hinges on the argument over whether President-Elect Barack Obama will get where he needs to by acting big or aiming small.

The challenge for Obama and the team he’s putting together is in finding a Goldilocks balance, when plenty of folks want it hot, and plenty of others want it cold. He needs to deliver on his promises for change, while not eroding the promise of the broad change to politics his election meant to so many.

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Lisa P

at 21:36 on November 10th, 2008

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The economic crisis will not prevent Obama from pursuing the priorities he outlined on the campaign trail, said John Podesta, co-chair of Obama's transition team. These include extending heath care to the nation's 47 million uninsured, reducing U.S. reliance on foreign oil, and improving public education, Podesta said.

The election is over and America has appointed a new leader. The people have chosen “change” by electing Barack Obama for the next President of the United States. Whether the United States changes for the better or for the worse, there is no doubt that change is in store for our country. It’s clear that Americans believe Obama will bring a positive change to our country. We’ve heard many of the promises he has made to the U.S. from lowering taxes for the middle class to putting a timeline on the war in Iraq and trimming the federal budget “line by line.” However, Obama also supports the elimination of the payday loan industry. He believes that eradicating the payday loan industry will protect low-income and families in general from falling victims to predatory lenders. On higher ground, it will be a violation to our financial freedom if the option to utilize affordable payday loans is wiped out. Threatening our rights to financial freedom is not a great start to creating positive change.

Click to read more on Payday Loans
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duo

at 01:55 on November 11th, 2008

That enterprise was already closed down in Georgia, as far as I know. I agree with you that sometimes government goes too far and seeks to undertake a paternal role regarding citizens, creating unnecessary and unappreciated infringements on their right to self-determination. It appears to me that government has plenty to deal with creating better job and educational opportunities and lowering some consumer prices, which just might eliminate the need for the payday loan industry by people who cannot stretch their salaries to cover living expenses from paycheck to paycheck. We need economic reform, not parents.

I don't think it was in poor citizens' best interest to stop payday loans in Georgia. Suppose a poor person gets a traffic ticket they cannot pay in full? IN GEORGIA, FOLKS WHO CANNOT PAY THEIR FULL TRAFFIC TICKETS ARE PUT ON PROBATION, UNLESS THEY WANT TO GO IMMEDIATELY TO JAIL, THEN FOLKS EARNS A HEFTY FEE EACH MONTH POOR CITIZENS CANNOT FORK OVER THE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE. So my question is, if it is wrong and outlawed for payday loans to take advantage of poor people and charge them never-ending interest for a loan that they could have used to pay their darn traffic ticket, why is it not wrong for the government to do the same thing to its disadvantaged citizens under the treat of prison? Hummmm?

By outlawing payday loans, were folks in charge just eliminating the competition? "Don't you victimize the poor citizens, let me do it!"

Mary

duo

at 22:50 on November 10th, 2008

I had a lovely niece to die of leukemia when she was only 24. She left two small children. Doctors were hopeful about stem cell research when Marie was initially diagnosed, but government restrictions interfered. Marie was a beautiful young lady, an army brat who spoke several languages learned during her father's army tours in different countries. She was a bank teller who graduated high school with an A average, and she planned to enter college when her two children entered elementary school. Her children are being raised by their father alone now, and he tries to ensure that they know their mother through stories and her pictures.

Can we find cures for many diverse diseases through stem cell research?
PERHAPS WE CAN!

Mary Neal
http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com

Ricardo Rangel (not verified)

at 17:59 on November 27th, 2008

Estamos convencidos que es sumamente necesario reactivar la investigación alrededor de las células madre. Si bien existe mucha confución y problemas de caracter etico, moral y religioso al rededor de las celulas madre embrionarias, existen líneas de investigación que estan demostrando una gran seguridad y poder de diferenciación celular de subpoblaciones de células madre que pueden ser aisladas de tejidos adultos, tal es el caso de las células madre mesenquimales que pueden ser aisladas del tejido adiposo, de las vellosidedes coriónicas de la placenta, medula ósea y del fluido menstrual. Esta célula madre tiene la capacidad de secretar mólecuals con una gran bioactividad en pro de la regeneración celular, inhiben la inflamación, activan la formación de nuevos vasis sanguíneos, previenen la apoptosis (muerte celular programada) y dialogan con el sistema inmunologico para inducir una respuesta de no daño en el caso de enfermedades autoinmunes.

Sin lugar a dudas la investigación basica al rededor de las células madre embrionarias arrojaran información muy valiosa a eficientar la terapia celular utilizando celuals madre adultas, cuya obtencion no genera ningún problema etico, moral o religioso.

Este es el siglo de la célula madre, los retos son enormes, las posibilidades inimaginables.....

Bush is nothing but trash (not verified)

at 19:27 on June 13th, 2009

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The American people trust that Barack Obama will conscientiously address issues related to health care reform.

_______________

SCANDAL! SCANDAL! SCANDAL!

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!

George W. Bush continuously criminally stalked Margie Schoedinger to the point that she could not get away from it, and she committed suicide in desperation to escape: he murdered her.

“In her suit, Margie Schoedinger states that George W. Bush committed sexual crimes against her, organized harassment and moral pressure on her, her family members and close relatives and friends. As Schoedinger said, she was strongly recommended to keep her mouth shut. . . . Furthermore, she alleges that George Bush ordered to show pressure on her to the point, when she commits suicide” (blog of drizzten).

“One of those ‘very leasts’ [was] George Bush’s personal complicity in the death (murder to be precise) of my friend Margie Schoedinger in September of 2003. Determining the exact whereabouts and contacts of [then] president-elect George Bush on September 21 thru 22, 2003, should be entirely lacking in difficulty” (Leola McConnell—Nevada Progressive Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010).

Leola McConnell is correct: Bush applying pressure (continuously criminally stalking Margie Schoedinger) purposefully to force Margie Schoedinger to commit suicide does in fact constitute murder.

BEWARE: If the president of the United States hates one—for whatever reasons—he can continuously criminally stalk one to the point that one cannot get away from it, and one ultimately commits suicide in desperation to escape. He can murder people in this way.

Bush is getting away with his murder of Margie Schoedinger—with no sheriff, prosecutor, or court willing to uphold the rule of law.

Bush’s method of murdering Margie Schoedinger cannot exist in a vacuum: he must have murdered other people in the same way.

Bush should confess, come out with the names of all of the people whom he murdered in the disgusting way he murdered Margie Schoedinger, undergo execution, and accordingly find himself at the intersection where he would be free.

(There are thousands of copies of the information above on the Internet. It exists very extensively in all major search engines. Please feel free to go to any major search engine, type “George W. Bush continuously criminally stalked Margie Schoedinger to the point that she could not get away from it, and she committed suicide in desperation to escape: he murdered her,” hit “Enter,” and find innumerable results.)

_______________

Andrew Wang

(a.k.a. “THE DISSEMINATING MACHINE”)

B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996

Messiah College, Grantham, PA

Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993