Sebelius Might Be Reluctant To Take HHS Secretary Position, Washington Post Reports

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 23 Feb 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) -- who presidential advisers have said is the top contender for HHS secretary nominee -- "seems somewhat hesitant about making the move" to Washington, D.C., the Washington Post's "In the Loop" reports. According to "In the Loop," the Obama administration also is considering Nancy-Ann DeParle -- former administrator of the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid and a former Office of Management and Budget official -- and Jack Lew -- who has been confirmed as deputy secretary of state for management. Lew worked on health care reform issues during the Clinton administration. "In the Loop" reports that there is "a growing view that it may take two people to handle the twin roles" negotiated by former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), who withdrew as HHS secretary nominee over a tax controversy. Daschle was expected to serve as both HHS secretary and in a White House health reform post (Kamen, "In the Loop," Washington Post, 2/20).

CQ HealthBeat Examines Sebelius' Track Record in Kansas

Sebelius' handling of Kansas' budget crisis "[i]n a way ... could prove a telling test run" if she is nominated as HHS secretary, CQ HealthBeat reports. Facing a state budget shortfall, Sebelius on Tuesday signed into law $300 billion in budget cuts but "largely spared" Medicaid and other health programs, according to CQ HealthBeat. The governor, who served as Kansas insurance commissioner from 1994 to 2002, "brings a bipartisan approach to health care and appears to believe in a role for the private sector," although she also "has not been afraid to take on the insurance industry," CQ HealthBeat reports.

Sebelius is scheduled to be in Washington, D.C., from Saturday until Tuesday for the National Governors Association conference, which has led to speculation that Obama will announce her as HHS nominee early next week (Armstrong, CQ HealthBeat, 2/19).

NPR Examines HHS Vacancy
NPR's "All Things Considered" on Thursday examined how the lack of an HHS secretary nominee is affecting the department and reaction from health advocacy groups to the possibility that Sebelius will be the nominee. The segment includes comments from Len Nichols of the New America Foundation and Ron Pollack of Families USA (Rovner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 2/19).

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