Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of Colorado’s eastern neighbor Kansas, is on President Obama’s short list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department. Her 8 years of experience as an insurance commissioner and 6 years running the Kansas Medicaid program as Governor and her remarkable ability to work in a bipartisan environment appear to make her remarkably qualified.
No stooge for the health insurance industry, Sebelius denied a request for Kansas Blue Cross Blue Shield to be sold as she said it would result in higher insurance premiums. She presently enjoys support from seemingly everywhere as an outstanding addition to President Obama’s cabinet.
Her latest triumph was resolving a critical budget crisis in Kansas. She also seems to be a much less polarizing choice than Tom Daschle was. This could be a good move for President Obama and good for the nation’s health services reform movement.
