Governor encouraged with increased attention on health care
Sebelius comments on Senate Task Force

The following statement is from Governor Kathleen Sebelius:

“I welcome the increased attention legislators are paying to the crisis in our health care system. This year is the year for action, and I know all Kansans are eager for us to work together to make quality health care more affordable and more available.

“We’ve made great progress in providing health care to young Kansans; over 59,000 more children are enrolled than when I came into office.  I’m glad the Senate Task Force wants to expand on our enrollment efforts, and I hope the full Senate will once again endorse my proposal to provide health insurance for every Kansas child from birth to age five.

“Having people take more responsibility for their health has been one of the goals of our HealthyKansas initiative.  We’ve had great success in promoting healthy lifestyles, with more than 3,000 Kansans taking the Healthy Kansas pledge so far, and 84 school districts being part of our Healthy Schools initiative. Encouraging Kansans to stop using tobacco is a part of this, and I’m happy to see the Senate Task Force agrees.

“Early screening of newborns is important, though without health coverage for all children from birth to age five it would be difficult for some parents to get the treatment needed should their child’s screening reveal a problem.

“I’ve been talking with HHS Secretary Leavitt about assistance from the federal government to further expand health coverage for our citizens. I look forward to working with the “Health for All Kansans” Steering Committee, convened by the Kansas Health Policy Authority, medical providers, families and stakeholders to achieve the goal of health care for Kansans.

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