HEALTHBLOGGER THE BLOVIATOR writes about suggestions that the White House would like to see Bill Frist as Majority Leader:
Frist truly embodies the “compassionate conservative” philosophy, going the last five years to Africa as a medical missionary to work with AIDS patients. He, along with Doug Badger at the White House, Tom Scully (head of Medicare and Medicaid), and Mark McClellan (head of the Food and Drug Administration) would form the core of the White House’s policy team to develop a prescription drug benefit for seniors and overhaul the whole Medicare system. I don’t support the largely market-based tack the White House has taken with prescription drug coverage and Medicare reform; however, on first blush, it sounds like in Frist they have a good person in mind to lead the Republican charge on these issues.
Ross is mostly interested in health issues, and hence evaluates Frist largely on that basis. But given that that’s where most of Frist’s record is to be found, it’s a worthwhile assessment.