Dean For Daschle: Ask Your Congressman To Support Howard Dean for Health and Human Services Secretary
Rutland Herald.com
by Louis PorterSeveral members of Congress have encouraged President Barack Obama to consider former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to be the secretary of Health and Human Services now that former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has dropped out of the running.
Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, a prominent Democrat who is the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies subcommittee of the power Appropriations Committee, told [Huffington Post] that Obama should pick Dean.
“I think that would be a very good move,….He brings all the background and experience. He's very strong on prevention and wellness, which I'm very strong on. I think he'd make an outstanding secretary of HHS,” Harkin said.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva wrote to Obama on Dean's behalf, as well.
“While most of the public have only known Howard as a ground-breaking candidate for president and one of the most successful leaders of our party, I have also known him as champion for universal health care. It has been the cause of his life,” Grijalva wrote.
Vermont's U.S. Rep. Peter Welch agreed Friday that Dean should be appointed.
“I think Howard would be a perfect candidate for the job. He has the combination of executive experience where he was a leader on health care, and he has a lot of support in Congress,” Welch said. “I think he would be an outstanding HHS secretary to take on health-care reform.”
(click here to read the entire article).
If you think Howard Dean should be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, contact your congressman and urge him to publicly support Howard as Senator Harkin is doing. (See the comment section for true talking points you can use). And don't forget to sign the petition. Contact info. for Iowa Congressional Reps:
Bruce Braley, 1st Dist., Phone: (202) 225-2911 or web form
Dave Loebsack, 2nd Dist., Phone: (202) 225-6576 or web form
Leonard Boswell, 3rd Dist., Phone: (202) 225-3806 or web form
Blog For Iowa 
Please take 2 minutes to send President Obama a message supporting Gov. Dean for HHS. There's a quick and easy form to fill out.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Here are some quick talking points you can use:
* Howard Dean is a doctor. As a family physician for 11 years, he delivered health care to his patients. As Governor of Vermont for 11 years, he delivered health policies to his constituents that improved the quality and availability of care.
* “Nobody did a better job on health care than he did as governor of Vermont. I thank him for that.” – President Bill Clinton
– 96% of Vermont children have health insurance and 99% are eligible for coverage under Governor Dean’s Dr. Dynasaur program.
– Vermont was ranked the “Healthiest State” in the U.S. in 2001, 2002 and 2003 by the Morgan Quinto Press.
– In 1997, Governor Dean signed a law requiring insurance companies in Vermont to provide the same coverage for mental illness and substance-abuse treatment that they provide for physical conditions.
– As a result of early intervention programs established by Governor Dean, 89% of pregnant Vermont women enter prenatal care in their first trimester and 91% of families with newborns receive a voluntary home visit.
– Vermont has the lowest teenage pregnancy rate in the country – teen pregnancies decreased 49% during Governor Dean’s tenure.
– Child abuse dropped 45% under Governor Dean. Vermont was the first state to institute a statewide protocol for abuse investigations.
– Vermont ranks second in the nation in child immunizations — 81% of children are fully immunized by age 2 and 97% are immunized before kindergarten.
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