CONGRESS: Kennedy Names Clinton to Committee Health Care Role 
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
<http://help.senate.gov/>  Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Tuesday
named committee members to lead three working groups that will target
specific aspects of the health care system in writing overhaul
legislation, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as head of
the group on insurance coverage, the Washington Post's "The Trail
<http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/11/18/clinton_takes_the
_lead_--_on_s.html> " reports (Connolly, "The Trail," Washington Post,
11/19). Kennedy also named Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education
Subcommittee <http://appropriations.senate.gov/labor.cfm>  Chair and
HELP Committee member Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to lead the task force on
prevention and public health and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) to lead
the task force on quality of care (Levey, Los Angeles Times
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hillary19-2008nov1
9,0,3326428.story> , 11/19). Kennedy said, "Our committee is fortunate
to have the services of major leaders who are committed to improving
health care for the American people," adding, "I look forward very much
to working with them" (Marcus, Bloomberg
<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aIRNPlpyLPxY&refer=
home> , 11/18). The naming of subgroup leaders signals that Kennedy
"will produce legislation that originates in Congress rather than try to
ram through a bill from the White House," CongressDaily. Harkin on
Tuesday released his ideas for improving preventive health, including
providing incentives for schools and employers to offer wellness
programs, encouraging childhood nutrition and physical activity, and
granting FDA <http://www.fda.gov/>  the authority to regulate tobacco
products. He said, "I have long believed that prevention and wellness
are the keys to solving our health care crisis," adding, "We must
re-create America as a 'wellness society' focused on fitness, good
nutrition and disease prevention -- ultimately keeping people out of the
hospital in the first place." Clinton's and Mikulski's offices did not
comment on the announcement reports (Edney [1], CongressDaily, 11/19).
Kennedy is scheduled to meet with Senate Finance Committee
<http://finance.senate.gov/>  Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and other
Senate leaders on Wednesday to discuss how they will move forward with a
health care overhaul. Baucus last week released
<http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=5
5535>  details of his own universal health care proposal. When asked
whether he or Kennedy would be in charge of moving an overhaul bill
through the Senate, Baucus said, "I don't care, as long as we get it
done." He added, "That's why we're meeting [on Wednesday], to show that
we're working together" and to "parcel out which committee is working on
what" (Armstrong, CQ Today, 11/18). The meeting will also include HELP
Committee ranking member Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Senate Banking Committee
<http://banking.senate.gov/public/>  Chair Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Finance
Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Finance Health
Subcommittee <http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/subcommittees.htm>
Chair Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Finance Health Subcommittee ranking
member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) (CongressDaily, 11/18).	


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