Confirmation of health and human services secretary delayed
03 04 09 - 16:51
Fast Vote Is Unlikely on Health Dept. Pick
By ROBERT PEAR - The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas appeared Thursday to be headed for confirmation as health and human services secretary, but several Republican senators objected to an immediate vote, so the Senate is unlikely to take up the nomination until later this month.
Ms. Sebelius sailed through a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday without encountering any difficult questions about her income taxes or her views on abortion.
The committee chairman, Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, said he looked forward to swift approval of Ms. Sebelius. But Republicans later asked that the committee defer action, meaning that the full Senate would probably not vote before lawmakers leave town on Friday for a two-week spring break.
Senators of both parties submitted dozens of written questions to Ms. Sebelius on Thursday and want to review her answers before voting.
She said her success in dealing with the Republican majority in the Kansas Legislature and her experience as state insurance commissioner had prepared her to work with Congress in overhauling the health care system.
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Finance Committee, said Ms. Sebelius had “addressed some tax irregularities.” But neither Mr. Grassley nor other committee members suggested that the tax problems disqualified her.
Ms. Sebelius disclosed Tuesday that she and her husband had recently paid $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest after discovering “unintentional errors” in their returns for 2005-7.
Seven conservative organizations, including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, issued a statement on Thursday that criticized Ms. Sebelius for supporting abortion rights. The statement, which opposed her nomination, said the governor “may not pay her own taxes but has no qualms about using tax dollars to pay for others’ abortions.”
Senators did not press Ms. Sebelius to explain her record on abortion. Her views on the issue appear to be generally similar to those of President Obama, who as a presidential candidate endorsed a woman’s right to an abortion. Lawmakers did, however, repeatedly ask her about various proposals to expand health insurance coverage and rein in health costs.
Ms. Sebelius affirmed her support for creating a new public insurance plan, which would compete with private insurers.
The public plan would provide an additional option to consumers, Ms. Sebelius said. In some metropolitan areas, she said, consumers have few choices because one or two insurance companies have overwhelming shares of the market. More than 30 states offer their own employees a choice between traditional private insurance and a public health plan financed and underwritten by the state, Ms. Sebelius said. In Kansas and other states, she added, this approach “operates very effectively” and “there has been no destruction of the marketplace.”