Daschle will lead healthcare overhaul

Calling an overhaul of the healthcare system a basic element of his administration's economic recovery programs, President-elect Barack Obama has presented former Senator Tom Daschle as his choice to become secretary of health and human services and to lead efforts to secure "affordable, accessible healthcare for every single American." At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said that Daschle would also be director of a new White House Office of Health Reform where Daschle will be the "lead architect" of proposals to expand coverage and rein in health costs.