Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - President-elect Barack Obama has health care reform on his mind as many are wondering just how quickly he will be able to address the health care problems once he takes office.

As of right now, the health care system in the U.S. is in big trouble as there are over 47 million Americans who do not have health insurance. On top of that, those who do have health insurance are seeing their costs rise each and every year.

Obama is ready to take a ction, and is working hand-in-hand with former Democratic Senate majority leader Tom Daschle.to get it done.

He has appointed Daschle as the head of health care reform at the White House, as well as the Secretary for Health and Human Services.

Together they hope to try and get health care reform in motion as quickly as possible.

Though the process will likely take years to really get rolling, many expect to see improvements in the short-term as well.