Update, 4:00 p.m.: The healthcare forum is no longer happening live, but you can still watch video of the entire discussion here. More about the panel here.

---------------------------------------------------

Hours before President Obama gives a special address on healthcare to Congress, SEIU President Andy Stern will join Senators Bob Dole and Tom Daschle and Wal-Mart VP Leslie Datch in a bipartisan health care forum hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Better Health Care Together.

Other participants in the panel highlight areas of agreement among political, business and labor leaders in the health reform debate include Annie Hill, Executive VP of Communications Workers of America (CWA); Charles Kolb, CEO of Committee for Economic Development and Judy Feder, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress (CAP). PBS's Judy Woodruff will moderate. The panel, "Common Sense Collaboration: Health Reform Perspectives from Employers and Employees," will take place today from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Watch Live: The event is being webcast in real time beginning at 11:30 a.m. today at http://bipartisanpolicy.org/news/multimedia/2009/09/08/newseum-press-conference

Sen. Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination today for Secretary of Health and Human Services. In a statement released by the White House, Sen. Daschle stated:

"If 30 years of exposure to the challenges inherent in our system has taught me anything, it has taught me that this work will require a leader who can operate with the full faith of Congress and the American people, and without distraction. Right now, I am not that leader."

Through our Change that Works campaign, SEIU has mobilized a significant amount of resources and staff to win health care reform. The future Health and Human Services Secretary will no doubt be a partner in that mission. As a longtime advocate for health care reform, Sen. Daschle was an extraordinary pick to head this agency, but his resignation today only reminds us that to win health care for all, we will need the full force of a national grassroots movement. Real change comes from many people, working from the ground up; not one politician at the top.

Sen. Daschle's resignation may seem like an important political moment to those in Washington, but for most Americans, it's just a blip on the radar. What matters to them is whether they can afford to see the doctor or buy their children the medicine they need. With each one percent drop in employment, 1.1 million more people lose their insurance.

If the battle over children's health insurance taught us anything, it is that we can never take our focus off the finish line. If you haven't already, sign up to be a part of SEIU's Change that Works campaign: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/healthcareforall

Politico reports today that President Barack Obama plans to convene a White House working meeting to address the nation's health care system sometime in the late winter or early spring. The meeting would bring together key members of Congress and other stakeholders (we presume that means insurance industry types, various employers, health care professionals, etc).

This is just the latest signal from the Obama Administration that health care will be a top priority in 2009. In mid-December, former Senate Majority Leader and nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Daschle called on Americans to host health care discussions in their homes, workplaces and communities. (Watch highlights of our SEIU staff discussion here). More than 330 SEIU online activists signed up to host their own health care discussions during the holidays.

More good news, reports Politico:

"Obama and his point person on health care, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, have staffed up like they plan to push forward with it, lining up a roster of communications and policy strategists to assist in the effort."

I'm guessing Sen. Daschle is having no trouble at all finding qualified, hard-working people willing to head to Washington to fix our nation's health care system. Let's get to work! If you haven't already, support the Obama Administration's efforts by adding your name to keep health care on the map.

This morning, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an editorial focusing on the uninsured and the incoming Obama Administration:

"So far, Obama is making all the right moves. Most important, he appears to be sticking to his first-year timetable - economic crisis or not."

The editorial lauds the nomination of former Senator Tom Daschle, stating that it's an indication that "the new administration plans to move boldly." Daschle, the piece states, is "well-versed in the ways of Congress, where Obama's reform will rise or fall," and that Daschle's plan to expand coverage while pulling the reins on health costs is a "workable strategy."

The piece also commends Obama on the health care meet-ups that have been taking place. Calling them a "smart move," the paper says that by "sampling public input on health care reform," the incoming administration will be able to "incorporate ideas from the grassroots" and learn from the "top-down" model that "helped sidetrack Clinton-era reform efforts."

The editorial board's conclusion?

"A can-do spirit and sense of urgency from a president-elect who wants 'change' are the best things America's uninsured have going for them."

You can read the full editorial at the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Last week, we wrote about the opportunity for you to become a health care leader in your community by hosting a health care meet-up near you. It's a chance to plug into the national health care discussion being initiated by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team over the next two weeks.

So far, community members of SEIU and its partner organizations Healthcare United and Americans for Health Care have volunteered to host a total of 200 of these meet-ups. You can still sign up to host your own by clicking here.

If you're hosting one of these events, you can find the official Change.gov moderator and participant guides to help you structure and guide your discussions.

Watch HHS Secretary-Designate Tom Daschle talk about why these discussions are so important:

Thursday, December 18th at 3pm EST, we'll be hosting a conference call for people who have signed up to be hosts (note new date). We'll spend just a few minutes offering some pointers for your gathering and letting hosts share your plans with each other. We'll also answer any specific questions you have. if you'd like to join us, please email info@imahealthcarevoter.org and we'll send you the call-in information.

If you've hosted or attended a health care meet-up in recent days, please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below!

There was much excitement today over Obama's nomination of Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Director of the White House Office on Health Reform (as there should have been), but it overshadowed another very encouraging appointment -- Dr. Jeanne Lambrew as Deputy Director of the White House Office on Health Reform.

Dr. Lambrew's career is defined by her tireless fight for better health care for every American. From her central role in crafting the Children's Health Insurance Program to her advocacy of affordable care for the elderly, Dr. Lambrew's efforts have led to improvements in access to care and deepened the public's understanding of how serious our health care crisis really is.

10/12/08 UPDATE: Video included - see below.

President-elect Obama today officially nominated former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and Director of the White House's new Office on Health Reform. Read Secretary-designate Daschle's remarks.

*Dec. 10, 2008 Update*: Here is the video of Senator Daschle's speech in Denver on fixing America's health care system, at the 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit.:

SEIU President Andy Stern weighed in this morning on the National Journal's health care experts blog. He talked about cutting through the argument between two extremes that has halted progress on health care reform and finding a middle ground solution that addresses the crisis head-on:

Fixing health care means offering choice and flexibility as part of any solution. Too often, Americans are presented with false options: either a government-run system funded by high taxes or a deregulated private market that puts profits ahead of patient care. Neither extreme would get the job done.

Andy's comment comes on the heels of major developments in our movement to fix health care. Last month, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) released a call to action and a comprehensive plan to immediately solve the health care crisis. Last week, Tom Daschle - the leader of President-elect Obama's health care transition team - issued a similar plea for Americans to take ownership of the movement to fix health care.

Read Andy's entire response here and, if you haven't already, join our movement to fix health care.

Every year, the Gallup Poll releases their Honesty and Ethics survey of various professions. This year's results are in, and for the seventh year in a row, nurses are ranked number one on the list.

A whopping 84% percent of Americans say that nurses' "honesty and ethical standards are either 'high' or 'very high."

It's a reminder of how our ideas should be valued as we work with our new president to find solutions to our nation's health care crisis.

Today, I heard the incoming Secretary of Health and Human Services talk
about "word clouds" in a major policy speech. I saw the next presidential
administration organizing online discussions and house parties instead of
lobbyist luncheons and corporate fundraisers to draft its agenda.

History is being written right now - and we're a part of it.

Senator Tom Daschle's speech in Denver this morning signals a major shift in
the role citizens will play in charting a course for America. The Obama
administration is rethinking the way government interacts with the people -
and they're challenging us to do the same.

All of us in the labor movement - and you in the netroots community - have
been dreaming of a moment like this for years. It's here. We cannot let one
minute pass us by.

While we engage in thoughtful and important debates online, 47 million
Americans are without health care. Millions more have coverage, but will
find out how inadequate it is when they need catastrophic care and their
insurance denies the claim. They are literally one illness away from
financial ruin.

SEIU stands ready to be a leading partner with President-elect Obama and
Senator Daschle in this fight. We are ready to commit our staff and
resources to fixing health care. And, more importantly, we have more than 2
million members ready to work for change.

We won't win this alone, though. That's why we're reaching out to anyone -
any group, any business, any member of Congress - that shares our commitment
to fixing health care. Some of our partners don't see eye-to-eye with us on
almost any issue - but on the issue of health care we're proud to hold
common ground.

We'll work together; but we won't compromise on finding a real solution that
meets our core principles. And we will not wait. For workers, businesses,
and the entire economy, the cost of doing nothing is too great.

The gate has been busted wide open. Now begins the work of creating change
that works for all Americans.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEIU Healthcare Chair Dennis Rivera issued the following statement today regarding the 2008 Colorado Health Care Summit:

"The more than 2 million working families of SEIU commend Former Senator Tom Daschle and the Obama healthcare transition team for their commitment to fixing health care--and we look forward to doing our part to promote this vital effort across the country.

"Senator Daschle's announcement today confirming the commitment of the new administration to address the healthcare crisis in America is great news for patients, caregivers, and employers alike. Senator Daschle has long been a champion for working families, and his announcement today is a tribute to his proven record of standing up for improvements to the healthcare system.

"More broadly, the recognition by Senator Daschle and the Obama team that rising healthcare costs are putting pressure on families and on businesses offers hope the mounting crisis will be addressed early in the next administration to help get our economy back on track. Clearly, any solution must expand coverage, reduce costs, and improve quality--the very priorities spelled out by Senator Daschle in Denver today.

"Today, SEIU's working families applaud Senator Daschle for his ongoing innovation, his steadfast commitment to fix the healthcare system, and his bold proposals for engaging Americans in the solutions. The fact that the Obama team is proposing some of the same tools that worked so well during the presidential election to ensure the voices of ordinary American families are part of the debate--including soliciting ideas by Internet and at house parties--demonstrates their commitment to addressing the problems on Main Street in a real way. SEIU healthcare workers plan to attend these house parties so we can share what we hear every day: working Americans need quality, affordable coverage they can count on.

"It is both fitting and telling that Senator Daschle's announcement should come from an event in Colorado, where Senator Ken Salazar has also shown great leadership in the movement to reform the healthcare system. With the Partnership for a Healthy Colorado citing each Colorado family will spend more than $934 to care for the uninsured by the end of 2008 and Families USA showing premiums for the average family have risen 82 percent in the last six years alone, Colorado exemplifies the severity of the situation nationwide. Senator Salazar has consistently shown he recognizes Coloradoans--and Americans overall--can't wait any longer to hear solutions to the healthcare crisis.

"SEIU members--more than one million of whom went to work today in hospitals, nursing homes, and as home care providers--are committed to work together with Senators Daschle, Salazar and other elected and business leaders to rebuild the healthcare system and the economy so they work for working people again."

Multiple news sources, including NBC News, are reporting that Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-ND) "has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services," and will therefore be nominated to the position. In that role, Daschle would be in charge of the FDA, Medicare and Medicaid, among other programs.

Former Sen. Daschle is considered an expert in health policy, having published a book earlier this year entitled "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis). Recently, he has also "been working with former Senate leaders on recommendations to expand health coverage."

Strong praise of the pick has been coming in from both sides of the political aisle, with former Republican Rep. John Porter, who now chairs medical research advocacy group Research!America, saying that "it is a perfect appointment" and that Daschle will "do an outstanding job."

Top health policy blogger Ezra Klein is thrilled with the pick, and suggests what the appointment means for Obama's healthcare agenda:

"This is huge news, and the clearest evidence yet that Obama means to pursue comprehensive health reform. You don't tap the former Senate Majority Leader to run your health care bureaucracy. That's not his skill set. You tap him to get your health care plan through Congress. You tap him because he understands the parliamentary tricks and has a deep knowledge of the ideologies and incentives of the relevant players. You tap him because you understand that health care reform runs through the Senate. And he accepts because he has been assured that you mean to attempt health care reform."

"Tom Daschle is a bold choice for HHS secretary and a sign of hope that real change to fix our nation's health care crisis will soon come," writes SEIU's Anna Burger on Politico's daily online debate The Arena. "It will take real leadership to push through a solution to this crisis, and now Tom Daschle is in a position to provide it...It is going to be up to all of us -- citizens, business and government -- to fix our health care system, and it is good to see government moving in the right direction."

(A version of this blog also posted at Healthcare United).