Secretary of Health and Human Services: Who's It Going to Be?

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) is being vetted as the leading contender for Secretary of Health and Human Services. As Kansas insurance commissioner from 1994 to 2002, Gov. Sebelius protected state health programs and boosted Medicaid reimbursement to physicians. Most recently, the Governor negotiated a difficult state budget crisis by cutting about $300 million from the state budget, but in doing so largely spared health programs like the state’s Medicaid services.

In public statements, the Governor fended off requests about the HHS post by commenting that she was focused on balancing the Kansas state budget. The Governor is expected to be in Washington DC over the weekend for the National Governor’s Association (NGA) meeting (Feb. 21 – 24) and this visit to the nation’s capital has led to the speculation that an announcement may come as early as this weekend.

Gov. Sebelius emerged as the leading choice for the position following the February 3 withdrawal of former US Senator Tom Daschle as President Barack Obama’s nominee. Daschle was expected to serve as both HHS Secretary and in a White House health reform post. It is now expected that these roles will be filled by two different individuals.

According to the Washington Post, the Obama administration is also considering at least two other individuals for Secretary of HHS. These dark horses include Nancy-Ann DeParle, a former administrator of the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid and a former Office of Management and Budget official, and Jack Lew, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

We will keep you updated once a formal announcement is made!