As the administration presses forward on many fronts, Kathleen Sebelius reasserts, in her prepared testimony today, that health care reform remains a priority:

I share the President’s conviction that “health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.” Inaction is not an option. The status quo is unacceptable, and unsustainable.

Also:

The President’s budget submitted in February continues the work begun in the Recovery Act. It dedicates $634 billion over 10 years to reforming the health care system. Its specific proposals would align payment incentives with quality, promote accountability and efficiency, and encourage shared responsibility. The President recognizes that while a major commitment, the reserve fund is not sufficient to fully fund comprehensive reform. He is committed to working with Congress to find additional resources to devote to health care reform.

The President is also committed to hearing from Americans across the nation. In March, he held a White House health care forum and several regional forums in places like Iowa, Vermont, and North Carolina. There, bipartisan forums brought together people from all perspectives – across the political spectrum and representing all people with a stake in the system – to focus on solutions.

We appreciate the tremendous leadership of this committee to address this urgent challenge. The leadership in Congress is getting to work to solve this great challenge for our nation, and we hope to see action in the coming months.

Should I be confirmed, health reform would be my mission – as it is the President’s – along with the tremendous responsibility of running this critical Department. And so, I would like to highlight a few of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the Department.

