Guest Blog: Challenges & Opportunities in an Obama Administration

"The Inside Scoop" welcomes guest blogger AHPA President Michael McGuffin, who is following up my little Obama post with a detailed look at the incoming administration:

It has now been over a week since the largest electorate in United States' history exercised their right to vote, and selected Barack Obama as our 44th president while increasing the Democratic party majority in both the U.S. Senate and in the House of Representatives. In the intervening days, I have been contacted by several of you to discuss what this election outcome might mean for the dietary supplement industry, and especially the herbal products trade.

I have heard concern expressed that control of both the executive and legislative branches by the Democrats will inevitably lead to some restrictions on the sales and marketing of dietary supplements. The sense is that this party is more likely to create new regulations generally, and that more restrictive laws for supplements may be desired by several well-placed Democrats who have long been critics of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Perhaps the most prominently placed of these is the senior Senator from Illinois, Richard Durbin. Senator Durbin holds the second-highest position in the Senate as the majority whip. He was the first Senator to endorse Barack Obama, and he served as a co-chair of Obama's election committee. He may well have some influence in identifying key positions in the new administration, including some that are important to our trade, such as Secretary of Health & Human Services and FDA Commissioner.

The industry and its trade associations must remain vigilant to protect against any legislative or executive actions that would in any way reduce consumer access to dietary supplements, or that would limit the broad range of health-promoting supplements that are available. Our attention should extend to legislative interest on food safety and importation issues, as these topics will continue to be important in the 111th Congress that will convene next January.

But this industry should also ask whether an Obama administration will present not only challenges but also opportunities. The issue of health care reform was identified early in the primary campaigns as a high priority for virtually every candidate. And as a candidate President-elect Obama stated on more than one occasion, the United States "does not have a health care system - we have a disease care system." This seems to imply that meaningful health care reform must extend beyond health insurance reform, and in fact, Obama's health care platform places significant emphasis on disease prevention and personal responsibility for health maintenance.

Surely there is a place for the best of our products in a reformed health care policy that stresses the value of prevention and responsibility. AHPA and others that represent the dietary supplement trade, along with such natural allies as practitioners of alternative medicine, will need to find a seat at the table to communicate to the incoming administration the health benefits and potential cost savings of incorporating well-researched and traditional herbal products into a new and innovative health care system in the United States.

I sincerely hope that our industry will balance our attention on both defending ourselves against unneeded and restrictive regulations and on working to realize the opportunities that may now be presented. Please feel free to contact me if you become aware of any challenges that may develop, or to share your ideas on how best to realize any emerging opportunities.

Sincerely,

Michael McGuffin

President, American Herbal Products Association

mmcguffin@ahpa.org