Sebelius Reduces Abortion, Annoys Pro-Lifers.

Kansas govenor Kathleen Sebelius will be tapped to run the Department of Health and Human Services tomorrow, a move that's been rumored since poor Tom Daschle had some trouble with his QuickBooks. Some health policy wonks were disappointed that the new chair won't have Hill experience, which will be helpful when trying to wrangle Obama's health care initiatives through Congress. Overall, however, she's winning praise from various and sundry pundits, editorial boards, and politicos.

You know who isn't happy with this pick? Pro-lifers. Which is weird, since they're normally so upbeat.

Sebelius shares the newish Dem party line of "safe, legal, and rare" when it comes to terminating pregnancy. Under her leadership, Kansas abortions have declined by 8.5 percent (which pro-lifers like); a decline Sebelius credits to adoption incentives (also good), extended health services for pregnant women (g00d), sex ed (eh), and other family support (so far, so good). However, she did veto legislation that would require women to get a court order before they get an abortion (FAIL).

(She also hosted an event at the governor's mansion with a Kansas gynecologist under investigation for violating state abortion laws -- and who had won the dinner at an auction benefiting a women's political group.)

Expect conservative leaders with strong anti-abortion ties to make Sebelius's confirmation difficult, and hope that other topics - like her attempts to make medical care more accessible for children and low-income parents in Kansas - aren't overshadowed.

Just in case they are, here's a list of her record on medical issues:

*As state insurance commissioner, she

cast herself as a consumer champion by pushing to protect patients from rationed care by health maintenance organizations and rapid discharges by hospitals. She declined campaign contributions from the industry she regulated and, in her boldest move, rejected the 2002 purchase of the state’s largest insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, by Anthem Inc., based in Indianapolis. No other state insurance commissioner had blocked such a sale, but Ms. Sebelius argued that it would result in higher premiums for Kansans. Litigation ensued, and she ultimately was upheld by the State Supreme Court. (New York Times)

Sebelius also sought to require insurance companies to cover birth control for women. Insurance lobbyists and anti-abortion groups opposed the proposal, and it died in the state Legislature.
She also cut state workers' compensation rates by more than 11 percent, when the industry wanted a more than 4 percent increase. And she has argued that patients should be allowed to sue insurance companies over their decisions. (AP)

*Last week, she proved her commitment to health care when signing the new state budget. Considering her name had already been circulated to replace Daschle, she wasn't likely to make any big cuts.

Sebelius signed into law a bill that reduced the Kansas budget by about $300 million to address a $6.4 billion deficit, but the legislation in large part avoided reductions in spending for health care programs, such as Medicaid. (Medical News Today)

* Other health-related initiatives as governor:

Sebelius has tried twice to raise Kansas's cigarette tax to expand medical coverage. Both times she was thwarted by Republican legislators, who objected to the tax increases and wanted a more market-based solution.
She was successful in having Kansas join a multistate consortium that allowed Kansans to order prescription drugs from Canada, Britain and Ireland, often at a lower price than in the United States. She also has added tens of thousands of children from low-income households to state health programs. (Washington Post)