If approved, she will be President Obama's point person to overhaul the health care system whose problems include safety lapses at the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) escalating costs in Medicare (whose projected insolvency is as soon as 2016) and health care reform, a dazzling maze of a bureaucracy and cancer research, among others.
The likelihood is that she will be approved and that Sebelius will be on her way to steering through congress President Obama's ambitious effort to overhaul America's horrendous health care system. However, unlike Senator Tom Daschle's nomination (who resigned from because of tax problems), President Obama's nomination of Sebelius is not just a reward to fellow democrat who supported him. Though she came out in favor of President Obama early and campaigned for him, Governor Sebelius has been known for sometimes as a very able administrator who is very knowledgeable about health issues.
As governor, she also served as state insurance commissioner for eight years, overseeing the Medicaid program for the poor during her tenure as governor. She tried tried unsuccessfully to expand health coverage in the state through higher cigarette taxes. That attempt failed. Nonetheless, she was able to get health coverage for tens of thousands of low-income children.
As insurance commissioner, she also handled herself ably in dealing with insurance companies like Blue Cross and Blue Shield. She proved to be an able administrator who could speak insurance language and, when appropriate, call them on the carpet on issues like higher premiums.
Sebelius, 60, can be tough too. You may recall that she fought Republicans in her legislature and the Bush administration when they failed to respond quickly to the natural disasters in her state. For this, she won increased favorable support from her citizens and loads of respect from Republican and Democratic State legislators. Not just another pretty face, she is a smart, poised, experienced public official who is unfazed by the complexities of health care and insurance issues and who, when necessary, will fight hard for good policy.
Governor Sebelius will have to facilitate the department through tough problems. On the other hand, she will be comforted by the fact that President Obama views health care as a priority. He has already set aside 634 billion over 10 years as a down payment on health coverage for all Americans. And he has also outlined some general policies, such as putting the country on a path to cover all its citizens and preserving the employer role in providing health insurance. He also suggests that he is open to making tough choices-- including tax increases to enact health care reform.
President Obama: selecting Governor Sebelius as head of HHS is change the daddy can believe in.
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9 comments:
Republicans are going to eat her alive.
daddyBstrong,
Gov. Sebelius will do good in Washington. I would have liked to see her as vice president but that is history.
Anonymous,
This is Washington, not Kansas and I believe the governor can hold her own. Perhaps the Republican's false teeth will fall out?
rainy
Anon: Just saying Gov. Sebelius will be "eaten alive" without providing any evidence or any statement to back up your claim is kind sophomoric, don't you think? Why do you think so? Is it because she's not a governor of a big state like New York? Because she's a woman in the democratic party other than Hillary Clinton? Just so you know: she's no spring chicken. She's run her state well. And she's handled the Republican-led state legislature just fine. One claim made about Republicans (at least until the past presidential election) is that they know how to run for political offices, but they don't know how to govern. This was certainly true of the previous Republican administration. In Gov. Sebelius you have a person who has already proven that she can administrate very well.Thanks for dropping by.
Rainy: Yes, I know it's history, but I was pulling either for her to be on the ticket with Obama too...It's a challenge, but I think she'll do just fine. Perhaps she should have been appointed in the beginning. She is so able and she and Obama have such a good relationship.
I'm with you...she'll be just fine!
I originally hoped for Clinton in this position, given her hard work to help America's health care system.
However, Gov. Sebelius is an excellent choice. She's pro-choice (HURRAY!) and CBN is raging against her nomination.
While a state representative, Mrs. Sebelius fought continually against parental notification, abortion waiting periods, and informed consent. As governor she twice vetoed abortion clinic regulation legislation and also a bill seeking to curb late-term abortions. If President Obama is serious about appointing Governor Sebelius to head HHS... he will be openly declaring war on the millions of Americans who support life.
I'm encouraged...
Wonk Room has overview on her hard work in various health care areas.
I'm with you, too, MacDaddy.
Thanks for the info. I haven't much time to keep up with the nominations.
I'll have to watch for her confirmation.
Sista GP: Thanks and I'm coming to see you over at Southern Thang. I'm from your neck of the woods you know (Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia).
Wonk: I went to the sit and even stole the picture from there. Thanks and come again.
Stella: I love it when Obama does things that drive conservatives crazy!
SJP: Thanks...Just so you know, when I come to your site, I can read what you say but can't comment. Any sites with WORD VERIFICATION ON IT, I can't comment on.
Cross your fingers there are no "surprises" to derail her nomination. (Something they should have known about Dashchle.)
Judy:Yes. And some Republicans will go after her for being pro-choice, questioning whether/how her pro-choice position will affect her stewardship and policy at the HHS department. But she'll be ready for it.
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