Sen. Daschle calls for “paradigm shift” during confirmation hearing

Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle appeared before a Senate confirmation hearing this morning and called for bold changes in the way Americans and their government think about health care.

“I think we need to change the paradigm in this country on health,” Secretary-designate Daschle said. “It starts with that big picture belief. The paradigm needs be changed from illness to wellness.”

Sen. Daschle advocated new approaches to the problems facing American families, noting that his charge in leading HHS will require working across governmental lines to fix ailing health care systems.

He noted the importance of “breaking down stovepipes so that the inter-relationship between these agencies can do a better job of coordinating this effort.”

When rural health care issues were raised, Sen. Daschle spoke passionately about solutions to the unique problems many communities face.

He emphasized the need for expanded broadband Internet access to facilitate a modernized health care information technology system.

President-elect Obama has repeatedly stressed the vital role of increased broadband penetration in improving the quality of a variety of services across America, including health care.

We’ll have more on Secretary-designate Daschle and his Transition health care team coming up soon.