Remarks as Delivered at the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Swearing-In Ceremony

Wow. Thank you, everyone, for joining us here today. I really appreciate all of your kind words - they're the kind of words that would make my father proud - and my mother would actually believe.

In fact, my mother Elaine and my father Bernard are here with us today. My mother was the one who actually first got me interested in health issues. As she used to say, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything."

I feel very fortunate to have parents who kept me so grounded. When I told my mother about my appointment, she said what she always says when I tell her of a new job I have in government: "I still don't understand what you do." Mom, I'm sure Secretary Leavitt would be happy to explain it to you after the ceremony.

My parents were dedicated civil servants, and I owe a tremendous amount to their influence. They taught me never to stop working when there was still something more I could do to help my neighbor or my country. In this week's Torah reading, Jews around the world hear about Jacob's dream. Quoting from Genesis, "And Jacob dreamed, and behold there was a ladder, secured to the ground, with its head reaching to Heaven, and behold, the angels of the L-rd ascending and descending upon it." The rabbis teach us that this ladder is a metaphor for our mission on Earth. We must keep reaching higher and keep working to improve the world. In Hebrew, this mission is called tikkun olam - that is, making the world a better place. My parents instilled in me a sense of tikkun olam from an early age, and I'm here before you today because of them.

My in-laws Vita and Ray are also here, sitting in the front. Both Vita and Ray are doctors, and they often remind me of their dissatisfaction with Medicare reimbursement levels. Since I first started working for the federal government more than a decade ago, they would often ask me to fix CMS's S.G.R, or the doctor reimbursement rates. I've always had to tell them that I don't have any say over what CMS does…Not sure I can say that anymore, though.

I'd like to give an especial welcome to my wonderful wife, Kami.

My predecessor, Alex Azar, told me a story about how his wife used to admonish him that he wasn't the Deputy Secretary when he was at home with his family. But it turns out that I am the Deputy Secretary of 611 Somersworth Way. Kami, of course, is the Secretary, the President, and the Speaker of the House.

When I told my wife that I couldn't have received this appointment without her, it was one of those times when she happily agreed with me. I can't tell you how much I owe her.

Kami, here are some flowers as a small expression of my gratitude for your love and support.

Our children are also here:

• Ezra
• Ruthie
• Noah
• Rina - it's actually Rina's birthday. She's three years old today. I hope you'll join me in wishing her a happy birthday.

I'd also like to thank:

• Secretary Chao - my old boss. When I first introduced Kami to Secretary Chao, the Secretary talked very kindly about how great I was and how she could always rely on me to complete an assignment. Kami said, "Really. That's hard to believe - I have trouble getting him simply to put away his shoes.” Secretary Chao responded, “Girlfriend, let me talk to you about husbands."
• Judge Kavanaugh - a good friend from my time at the White House. Thank you for swearing me in.
• Rabbi Shemtov - who has been with me in good times and bad, and has been a wonderful colleague and spiritual mentor.
• My brother Dan and his wife Cheryl, who are with us today.
• And my brother Gil and his wife Linda, who unfortunately weren't able to join us. But I thank them all for their support.

And, of course, I want to thank you, Secretary Leavitt, for your kind words and the faith that you and President Bush have placed in me.

I appreciate your dedication to our mission here at HHS. Some of you may not know this, but Secretary Leavitt was supposed to be in Europe last week. However, President Bush needed him to keep working to help secure health insurance for needy children. So he stayed behind to take care of business. That's just an indication of how dedicated he is to our work here.

Of course, I can always tell when the Secretary wants me to take care of business - specifically, trying to get something out of the White House. He puts his arm around me and calls me his "capable deputy." I have to look out now whenever I hear him say the word "capable."

When I was working at the White House, I was always impressed - as were my colleagues - by the passion and vision I saw as Secretary Leavitt carried out his charge at HHS. He is an extremely thoughtful public servant. On numerous occasions, while working on some thorny issue at the White House, we'd call up the Secretary to ask him if he could take the lead on it. He'd never say yes or no, though. He would always just say that he'd think about it. Later, he'd call us back and say that he had thought of a different way - a better way. And, as it always turned out, his way was a better way, and that would be the direction we'd take. As you can imagine, it takes quite a lot for the White House to admit that its way wasn't necessarily the best way.

Of course, the White House is just a building. But it's also a collection of people. My colleagues at the White House were some of the most dedicated and effective people with whom I've been privileged to work. I'd like to thank all of them who are here for coming. And I'd like to thank all of you for coming, too.

And now, I can't tell you how excited I am to have this opportunity to work with the Secretary and all of you here at the Department. We stand at an important moment in our nation's history. Our nation is facing important choices about how we will structure our health care system and how we will prepare our nation to meet the threat of terrorism in the years to come. With thirteen months to go, this Administration has the opportunity to continue to lay the foundation for a brighter, healthier, safer America.

Under the leadership of President Bush and Secretary Leavitt, we have already accomplished a great deal for the American people:

• We made prescription drug coverage available to more than 38 million seniors. And we did so by creating a system in which seniors get to choose between companies that compete to meet their needs.

• We gave Americans more control over their health insurance by enabling the creation of portable, tax-free Health Savings Accounts. In the process, we paved the way for a new vision of health care that has helped and will continue to help millions afford medical coverage.

• We're bringing cost and quality transparency to the health care system through Secretary Leavitt's four cornerstones for value-driven health care.

• We're about to achieve President Bush's goal of establishing or expanding health centers in 1,200 communities - serving 16 million people - around the country, bringing more health care options where before there were few.

These are concrete results - results we can be proud of. As the Secretary says, we are part of the most consequential health care reforms in four decades. The policy initiatives, public debate, and bipartisan execution of these ideas ensure that they will be felt for decades. America's health care system is the envy of the world. And we are helping keep it that way.

But we have more to do. And together we will get it done. President Bush has set forth a bold vision of trusting in the American people to make their own decisions in strengthening the doctor-patient relationship, in working with our world-class doctors and hospitals, and in encouraging medical innovations and cutting edge technologies. We have in Secretary Leavitt a Secretary who understands the challenges of the future and who pursues creative ideas to ensure that our government meets its obligations to serve the American people.

As we go forward together, we will build a legacy of good health; we will secure a fiscally sound health-care system; we will improve our drug-approval process, and we will ensure we are ready to face man-made or natural disasters, come whatever may.

In the months ahead:

• We will increase the accessibility of health insurance. We will do so by working to eliminate the inequities in our tax code that make it harder for individuals to afford medical coverage.
• We will move health care into the 21st century by challenging government and the private sector to employ the technologies that have transformed every other sector of American life, from iPods to eye surgery.
• We will prevent medical errors by working with doctors and hospitals to integrate health information technology.
• We will resist attempts to weaken Medicare's prescription drug coverage by communicating the successes of a competitive program that serves seniors and taxpayers with higher quality at lower cost.
• We will reauthorize SCHIP and focus it on its primary mission of helping low-income children.
• We will foster a greater sense of personal responsibility by delivering fitness, nutrition, and good health information to the public.
• We will improve people's understanding of health economics, the importance of value, and the nature of risk.
• We will keep our communities safe from all disasters, whether manmade or natural - and we will do this in a way that encourages families and businesses along with governments to take the initiative on emergency preparedness.

Years from now, our grandchildren will look back and give thanks for our dedication to this important mission. They will live in a world in which new technologies overcome old diseases. They will listen in wonder at the advances that came because we protected what works in our health care system - and we had the courage to reform the parts that did not. They will marvel how a few little changes like HSAs inspired healthier living and created greater hope. And most of all, they will hug us close and thank us for being there to fight for the right ideas and ensure that every life was touched by the promise of a brighter future.

I look forward to working with you. I am proud to serve the American people. I am proud of the work we have done and eager to take on what we have yet to do. And I make this pledge to you. As long as I am here, I will not tire and I will not grow complacent. I will climb the next rung of that ladder going ever upward. And, we will reach a hand down to help others climb higher. As long as we work together, this Department can make our nation - and our world - a better place.

Thank you very much, and may G-d bless our decisions, our efforts, and our nation.

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Note: All speeches from the Office of the Deputy Secretary are available at http://www.hhs.gov/agencies/depsecspeeches.html.

Last revised: November 16, 2007

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