Speculation on Obama Cabinet Begins

With the announcement of President Elect Obama’s economic “dream team,” speculation officially begins concerning what his cabinet will look like. “Which of those heavy hitters will be Treasury Secretary” is merely the first and most obvious question.

The Associated Press (yes yes I know many people are still boycotting them) has come up with an interesting collection of short lists for the various positions, with the caveat that “Obama has signaled that he will make no Cabinet-level appointments immediately, and his deliberations are tightly held by his closest aides.”

One interesting name on the list is the idea of current Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean for Secretary of Health and Human Services. I am of mixed minds on this. On one hand, Mr. Dean has revived the Democratic Party with his fresh ideas about fundraising, how to use the netroots, and the 50 state strategy that bore fruit this week. On the other hand, nobody knows more about how health insurance works (or doesn’t work) than Howard Dean. As a Doctor, he has dealt with insurance companies for payment and approvals. Running a medical practice, he has purchased health insurance for employees and medical malpractice insurance for himself (and his wife, still a practicing physician). As Governor, he has been privy to the inner workings of the state Medicaid and SCHIP programs, expanding SCHIP in his state to cover every single child under 18; kids don’t have employers, so employer based health insurance is fundamentally broken in covering them. As a human being with health needs, he has dealt with insurance companies as a patient. After losing his re-election bid, he experienced the huge rip-off of COBRA. The only thing he hasn’t done is run a for-profit health insurance company!

Who would your choices be, and why? Let the Fantasy Cabinet ruminations begin.

For more insight on the actual thoughts and actions of the President Elect and his transition team, be sure to check out Change.gov.