Statement of Ken Thorpe of The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease on Appointments of Governor Kathleen Sebelius to be HHS Secretary and Nancy-Ann Deparle to be Director of White House Office of Health Care Reform
"Governor Sebelius has a clear, substantive grasp of health care issues, and as a governor, has had to deal with most of the issues that fall under the responsibility of HHS. She understands the politics surrounding health care reform. She has been trying to do health care reform, with some success, in a very difficult political environment, so she knows the importance and benefit of reaching across the aisle."
"HHS is a huge department that needs a strong manager who understands the issues. With Governor Sebelius President Obama has chosen someone who has both requirements necessary to be a successful Secretary."
"Nancy-Ann DeParle brings years of experience and wisdom to the position of Director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Over the years she has learned some key lessons about what works and what does not in Washington and has given a lot of thought to what changes we need to make in our health care system."
"This announcement allows President Obama to begin acting in earnest on his promise to move forward on comprehensive health reform. We must transform our health care system from one that waits for Americans to get sick to one that prevents and better manages illness. If we do this we have the best shot at reducing the nation’s health care costs."
"The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease with more than 120 national and state partners looks forward to working with President Obama and his health care team to bring about change to our health care system."
Ken Thorpe, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: chronic disease. For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org.
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For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org.
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