HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Discusses Budget, Health Reform

WASHINGTON -- Kathleen Sebelius, the daughter of a governor who went on to become a governor, is two years into her tenure at HHS -- the ideal time for a midterm report.

Sebelius stepped onto the national political stage carrying an impressive resume: Governor of Kansas (her father, John J. Gilligan, was governor of Ohio), director of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and Insurance Commissioner in Kansas.

But even that wide-ranging experience may not have adequately prepared her for the challenges she has faced since taking the reins at HHS.

From the CDC to the FDA to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to Social Security, it is difficult to find a single department within the HHS monolith that has not faced myriad problems, and the unifying theme among all those challenges is money.

Against that background, MedPage Today News Editor Joyce Frieden and Washington Correspondent Emily Walker sat down with the secretary to talk about fixing the sustainable growth rate, implementing the Affordable Care Act, rebooting the electronic health record initiative, and -- of course -- they talked about money.

Sebelius met with Frieden and Walker at the HHS inhouse TV studio, and an HHS public information officer was present (off camera) during the interview.

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• Kathleen Sebelius
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• John J. Gilligan
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