Kathleen Sebelius on Health Care

Democratic KS Governor

First step of overhaul: health care to 10 million children

We are stronger as a nation when our people have access to the highest-quality, most-affordable health care. When our businesses can compete in the global marketplace without the burden of rising health care costs here at home.

We know that caring for our children, so they have a healthy and better start in life, is what grownups do. A large majority of the Congress are ready, right now, to provide health care to 10 million American children, as a first step in overhauling our health care system.

Source: Democratic Response to the 2008 State of the Union address , Jan 28, 2008

I-Save-Rx: low-cost prescriptions from Canada and Europe

At Governor Sebelius’ urging, Kansas now participates in the I-Save-Rx initiative, which opens the door for Kansans to buy safe, lower cost prescription drugs from state-approved pharmacies in Canada and Europe.

Sebelius will continue to support efforts to make health care more affordable and available to all Kansans. She will again ask the Legislature to allow Kansas businesses to band together so they can better bargain for lower insurance costs.

Source: 2006 Gubernatorial campaign site www.ksgovernor.com “Issues” , Nov 7, 2006

Insure all Kansas children from birth to age five

This past year Sebelius urged the Legislature to insure all Kansas children from birth to age five. Unfortunately, the Legislature chose politics over people and rejected this practical approach to moving Kansas forward.

But Governor Sebelius will not give up. If re-elected she will bring that plan back to the Legislature and try again.

Source: 2006 Gubernatorial campaign site www.ksgovernor.com “Issues” , Nov 7, 2006

Cutting Medicaid will increase numbers of uninsured

Sebelius warned that neither Congress nor the Bush administration planned to extend a one-time increase in Medicaid funding. If the emergency aid is not renewed, Kansas will be forced to cut its Medicaid budget. Sebelius also complained that federal officials have slowed payments to the states in the wake of Medicare and Medicaid reform efforts. If states are forced to cut Medicaid budgets, numbers of uninsured are sure to increase. Source: Journal Des Moines Bureau , Jun 17, 2004

Obtain better prices for prescriptions & services

I said I would find better, more efficient ways of delivering services to the more than 450,000 Kansans who rely on the state for health care. To help accomplish that goal, I created the Governor’s Office of Health Planning and Finance. Its small but talented staff is already hard at work on plans to obtain better prices for prescription drugs and other health care services by leveraging our buying power in the marketplace. Source: 2004 State of the State address to the Kansas Legislature , Jan 12, 2004

Require adequate insurance coverage for agritourism

Many in the agritourism industry are concerned about whether their insurance policies cover them in case of an accident. We should either clarify legislatively that these businesses are covered, or require insurance companies to offer adequate coverage. Even if the coverage is available, we must make sure these businesses can afford it. We should offer tax credits to businesses and individuals who purchase insurance policies for agritourism. Source: Governor’s column , Apr 29, 2003

Establish "report cards" on HMO quality of care.

Sebelius adopted the manifesto, "A New Agenda for the New Decade":

Promote Universal Access and Quality in Health Care
That more than 40 million Americans lack health insurance is one of our society’s most glaring inequities. Lack of insurance jeopardizes the health of disadvantaged Americans and also imposes high costs on everyone else when the uninsured lack preventive care and get treatment from emergency rooms. Washington provides a tax subsidy for insurance for Americans who get coverage from their employers but offers nothing to workers who don’t have job-based coverage.

Markets alone cannot assure universal access to health coverage. Government should enable all low-income families to buy health insurance. Individuals must take responsibility for insuring themselves and their families whether or not they qualify for public assistance.

Finally, to help promote higher quality in health care for all Americans, we need reliable information on the quality of health care delivered by health plans and providers; a “patient’s bill of rights” that ensures access to medically necessary care; and a system in which private health plans compete on the basis of quality as well as cost.

Goals for 2010

Reduce the number of uninsured Americans by two-thirds through tax credits, purchasing pools, and other means.
Create a system of reliable “report cards” on the quality of care delivered by health plans and providers.

Source: The Hyde Park Declaration 00-DLC5 on Aug 1, 2000

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Page last updated: Apr 29, 2013