HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appears on the Daily Show to talk health care reform

Kathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has embarked on a nationwide tour to help promote health care reform. Her first stop was the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Monday night. The issue of reform has been one steeped in controversy since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Consumers are leery of the changes being made to the health care system and those coming to the insurance industry. Sebelius suggests that this may be due to misinformation or misconceptions of the reform law and seeks to provide details on some of the more prominent provisions of the legislation.

One of the issues that Sebelius touched on during her time at the Daily Show was the role that the federal government would play in the new insurance industry. Sebelius notes that the law is meant to provide states with more control over their particular insurance benefits and market. States will have control over their own health insurance exchanges and the rules and regulations governing insurance companies. She insists that the only time to federal government will come into the picture is when states refuse to comply with the health care law.

Sebelius also mentioned the controversial individual insurance mandate, which has become the driving force behind taking the Affordable Care Act to the Supreme Court. The Secretary believes that the Court will uphold the mandate as constitutional. If it is not, however, the Department of Health and Human Services will work around it, trying to find ways to encourage consumers to enroll in health insurance programs without the potential of infringing upon their rights.

For more live insurance updates on health care reform.

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