Gov. Sebelius Tells Senate Panel That Health Reform Would Be Her 'Mission' If Confirmed As HHS Secretary

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 02 Apr 2009 - 8:00 PDT

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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's nominee for HHS secretary, at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Tuesday said that if confirmed, "health reform would be my mission," the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/31). "Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year," she said (Gensheimer, CQ Today, 3/31). Sebelius said fixing the inefficiencies in the health care system is inextricably linked to improving the U.S. economy (Lengell, Washington Times, 4/1).

During her testimony, Sebelius said, "You absolutely have my commitment" to crack down on medical fraud as part of health care overhaul (CQ Today, 3/31). She said, "Having a few strike operations may be the most effective way to send the signal that there's a new sheriff in town, and I intend to take this very, very seriously," adding, "I certainly think that a significantly more aggressive effort to go after fraud and abuse is well deserved" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/31).

She also told the panel, "Dismantling the current system of employer-based coverage ... is not the most effective strategy to reach full coverage for every American, because so many of our Americans currently rely on employer-based coverage" (Young, The Hill, 3/31). According to The Hill, Sebelius "explain[ed] that the administration supports a new plan but not a single-payer national health insurance program that would replace private insurance" (The Hill, 3/31). Sebelius said the public option could compete "side-by-side with private insurers in some kind of exchange" (Edney, CongressDaily, 3/31). Sebelius did not rule out the possibility of using the budget reconciliation process to pass health care reform legislation. She said that "there is an interest in not taking any tools off the table prematurely," but added, "I think there's an absolute dedication to engaging Republicans and Democrats in this effort" (The Hill, 3/31).

In response to questions about comparative effectiveness research, Sebelius said that she does not believe that it would lead to rationed care; however, she said that she is concerned about rationing care to control costs and would oppose it. She told the panel, "I have some experience in fighting for the fact that providers should make medical decisions" as Kansas insurance commissioner (AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/31).

Sebelius said that in light of recent high-profile outbreaks of food contamination, one of her goals is to restore trust in FDA as the "leading science-based regulatory agency in the world." She said, "We have to have a new platform for safety and security of our food and drugs in this country, and it has to be a much more collaborative approach with industry" (CQ Today, 3/31). She said that it is premature to discuss whether the agency should be divided into a drug agency and food safety agency. She added that FDA needs to first restore its reputation before discussing whether it would allow U.S. residents to purchase cheaper drugs from abroad (CongressDaily, 3/31). Sebelius also listed strengthening NIH and implementing the recent expansion of CHIP as her top priorities if she is confirmed (CQ Today, 3/31).

Sebelius will appear on Thursday in front of the Senate Finance Committee, which will decide whether the full Senate will vote on her nomination (CongressDaily, 3/31).

Comments
Senate HELP Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who presided over the hearing, said, "Costs are out of control -- but today, we have an opportunity like never before to reform our health care and we need a secretary of health who has the vision, the skill, and the knowledge to help us get there. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has those traits and more" (CQ Today, 3/31).

In a statement, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said, "Congress is going to need a strong partner at [HHS] to achieve comprehensive health reform this year, and we have that partner in Gov. Sebelius," adding, "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Gov. Sebelius has the political experience, determination, and bipartisan work ethic to get the job done with Congress this year. She's the right person for the job and I look forward to hearing from her at the Finance Committee's hearing on Thursday" (Brady, Roll Call, 3/31).

NPR's "All Things Considered" on Tuesday reported on how the questions Sebelius faced in the hearing could act as a preview of the upcoming debate over health care reform (Rovner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 3/31).

New York Times Examines Democrats Health Plan, Remaining Questions
While the chairs of five congressional committees have reached a consensus on the key elements of health reform legislation, "members of Congress are just now turning to the most explosive issues, which could delay or derail the process," the New York Times reports. According to the Times, lawmakers have not yet determined how to pay for coverage of the uninsured, have not addressed Republican opposition to a proposed government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers and have not determined the role of state insurance regulators.

Congressional leaders have set a timetable that would have the House and Senate voting on separate health reform bills by the end of July. Unlike the health care reform efforts during the Clinton administration, it is Congress that is taking the lead in drafting legislation. Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office for Health Reform, said she has not yet made specific policy recommendations to Congress, adding, "My job is to work with members of Congress. They are the ones doing the hard work. We are providing technical assistance. We help them with the nuts and bolts" (Pear, New York Times, 4/1).

White House Forum
In related news, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) and DeParle at a national forum on Tuesday said that fixing national and state health care systems is a crucial component to fixing the economy, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The forum, held at North Carolina A&T State University, was the fourth in a series of five organized by the White House. Perdue said, "We need a real commitment from this administration to partner with us on costs so that we can have the health care financial system we need to build back our economy," adding that there needs to be a greater focus on "well care and prevention" (Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 4/1).

Opinion Pieces

• Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Washington Times: "Health care reform, while an enormous challenge, is perfect for demonstrating the effectiveness of conservative principles," Price, a physician and chair of the Republican Study Committee, writes in a Times opinion piece. According to Price, "To succeed, our conservative solution should be built on two pillars: access to care for all Americans, and coverage that is truly owned by patients and their families." He continues, "First, to provide access, we must reform our tax code so it makes financial sense for all Americans to have health care coverage." The "second pillar, patient-owned coverage, is vital for a successful patient-centered system" because the existing system that provides employer- and government-sponsored coverage "strips patients of their rightful decision-making power and results in a lack of accountability, flexibility and efficiency for ... the patient," he adds. He writes, "These two pillars would provide a platform for a host of positive, patient-centered changes to our health care system based on the conservative principles of choices, competition, ownership and individual control" (Price, Washington Times, 4/1).
  
  
• Norman Ornstein, Roll Call: "[T]here are many reasons to believe that this is the year for serious change in the health care system," Ornstein, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, writes in a Roll Call opinion piece. According to Ornstein, Obama's recent White House health care summit showed that "the major actors in the field are genuinely ready to sit down at the table and deal" and that there is "recognition that this is the chance to have an impact on change." Ornstein continues, "the world has changed significantly" since the failure of former President Clinton's health care initiative in 1994, and "the public climate for serious reform [is] much more favorable." Obama, Vice President Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel "have a much deeper understanding, from the beginning, of how to operate within Congress." In addition, he continues, "Without the economic crisis, we would have had no money available" for expanding government-sponsored health care benefits; "the current need to stimulate the economy and to ease the suffering of the unemployed made big spending items like these appropriate" (Ornstein, Roll Call, 4/1).
  
  
• Armstrong Williams, Washington Times: When Obama presented his budget proposal to Congress last month, "Hill veterans were forced to ask where the health care specifics were located in such a large tome," Times columnist Williams writes. According to Williams, the budget plan included $634 billion for a health care reserve fund, and "[w]ith such a precise dollar amount, one would think this amount was reached by having a clear plan." He writes that, "apparently, details only complicate the otherwise smooth and rapid approval of boundless sacks of taxpayer money heaped on our national woes." He continues that Obama "gave countless speeches on the matter with specific, concrete ideas," adding, "So why were none of them included in his budget submission?" A plan "with that enormous price tag ... better include a detailed blueprint," Williams writes, adding, "Otherwise, it's nothing more than a glorified wish list that hasn't significantly moved this debate any further than HillaryCare in 1994" (Williams, Washington Times, 4/1).

Broadcast Coverage
PBS' "Frontline" on Tuesday presented "Sick Around America," a special in-depth analysis of the U.S. health care system and the need for comprehensive overhaul ("Frontline," PBS, 3/31).

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