US President Barack Obama has tapped Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be his health secretary to carry out his ambitious health care reform program, the White House said.
A senior administration official said on Saturday that Sebelius had accepted the offer to serve as secretary of health and human services — a position Obama had first offered to former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, who withdrew over tax questions.
Obama was expected to make the announcement today at the White House, the official said.
The 60-year-old governor, a rising star of the Democratic Party, was an early supporter of Obama’s presidential bid. She was also said to be in the running for vice president.
Her nomination came just days after Obama unveiled his budget for next year, in which he allocated US$634 billion over 10 years to finance reforms to make health coverage more affordable and move the country toward universal coverage.
Obama is to hold a bipartisan summit on Thursday for policymakers and legislators to discuss reforms to repair the nation’s ailing healthcare system.
As health secretary, her first foray onto the national stage, Sebelius will be charged with shepherding healthcare reform legislation through Congress in line with Obama’s campaign vow to revamp the US medical system and help more than 45 million Americans lacking health insurance.
Sebelius’ father was an Ohio governor and her father-in-law was a Republican lawmaker from Kansas. She served as Kansas insurance commissioner for nearly a decade before taking office as governor in 2003. She is currently serving her second term.
As insurance commissioner, she blocked the sale of a state private insurance program to a for-profit group in an effort to prevent rates from rising. She also helped draft a national bill of rights plan for patients.
“We know that we’re stronger as a nation when our people have access to the highest quality, most affordable healthcare, when our businesses can compete in the global marketplace without the burden of rising healthcare costs here at home,” Sebelius said last January.
The Democratic president made healthcare reform a major campaign plank and one of his first acts in office was to sign into law expanded healthcare coverage for low-income children.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft