HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended calls she made to three healthcare companies she regulated before a hearing before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The secretary said she contacted St. Louis-based Ascension Health, as well as Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Johnson & Johnson, to encourage them to "look at" assisting Enroll America, a nonprofit group leading efforts to connect the uninsured with affordable coverage.
She denied specifically asking those companies for financial support but acknowledged she had made separate fundraising calls to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and tax preparation firm H&R Block — organizations HHS does not directly regulate — to request donations to support implementing the health law.
Secretary Sebelius said no federal law bars her from seeking private donations and that "public-private partnerships" are standard strategies for implementing legislative overhauls used in the early days of the Children's Health Insurance Program under President Bill Clinton's administration and at the launch of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program during President George W. Bush's tenure.
Congressional Republicans have slammed the secretary for making the calls, claiming the move raises legal and ethical concerns.
5 Intangible Benefits Of Hospital Strategic Planning
How England's Clinical Commissioning Groups Could Help America's ACOs
The secretary said she contacted St. Louis-based Ascension Health, as well as Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Johnson & Johnson, to encourage them to "look at" assisting Enroll America, a nonprofit group leading efforts to connect the uninsured with affordable coverage.
She denied specifically asking those companies for financial support but acknowledged she had made separate fundraising calls to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and tax preparation firm H&R Block — organizations HHS does not directly regulate — to request donations to support implementing the health law.
Secretary Sebelius said no federal law bars her from seeking private donations and that "public-private partnerships" are standard strategies for implementing legislative overhauls used in the early days of the Children's Health Insurance Program under President Bill Clinton's administration and at the launch of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program during President George W. Bush's tenure.
Congressional Republicans have slammed the secretary for making the calls, claiming the move raises legal and ethical concerns.
More Articles on Healthcare Reform:
Beacon Health System Faces Sex Discrimination Suit Over Health Benefits5 Intangible Benefits Of Hospital Strategic Planning
How England's Clinical Commissioning Groups Could Help America's ACOs