Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has gone, hat
in hand, to health industry officials, asking them to make large
financial donations to help with the effort to implement President
Obama’s landmark health-care law, two people familiar with the outreach
said.
Her unusual fundraising push comes after Congress repeatedly rejected
the Obama administration’s requests for additional funds to set up the
Affordable Care Act, leaving HHS to implement the president’s signature
legislative accomplishment on what officials have described as a
shoestring budget.
Over the past three months, Sebelius has made multiple phone calls to
health industry executives, community organizations and church groups
and asked that they contribute whatever they can to nonprofit groups
that are working to enroll uninsured Americans and increase awareness of
the law, according to an HHS official and an industry person familiar
with the secretary’s activities. Both spoke on the condition of
anonymity to talk openly about private discussions.
An HHS spokesperson said Sebelius was within the bounds of her authority in asking for help.
But Republicans charged that Sebelius’s outreach was improper because
it pressured private companies and other groups to support the
Affordable Care Act. The latest controversy has emerged as the law faces
a string of challenges from GOP lawmakers in Washington and skepticism
from many state officials across the country.
Read more from this story HERE.
No comments:
Post a Comment