Obama names Sebelius to head HHS

On Monday, President Obama nominated Kansas governor Katherine Sebelius to head up the Department of Health and Human Services.

His previous nominee, former senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), ended up resigned when it came out he had not paid over a hundred thousand dollars in taxes for a car service gifted to him.

Sebelius, whose name was mentioned previously for the post, publicly said she could not consider the position, or any other, because of her commitments to Kansas. Obama, Sebelius said, “reminded me that it’s possible to help Kansas, and help the United States at the same time.”

The governor spent many years as Kansas’s insurance commissioner, and is known for her health care knowledge and bipartisanship. As a testament of this, two Republican Kansas senators, Bob Dole and Pat Roberts, appeared with the Democrats Sebelius and Obama at her nomination.

Obama also nominated Nancy-Ann DeParle as director of the White House Office for Health Reform. DeParle has health care experience at state and federal levels, from time in the Tennessee state government and the Clinton administration.