The Patriot Post® · Secretary Sebelius

With her silver hair and striking features, she has an austere beauty and dignity. Her professional responsibility, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has been to run Obamacare even as it was being developed in Congress in 2009 and 2010.

Secretary Sebelius’ success in this office, by Administration standards, should have been considerable, even though a majority of the public – polls show – has opposed Obamacare ever since its enactment. Secretary Sebelius has strongly favored government-run health care and has been responsible for enforcing its plethora of regulations. So, why has Obamacare been such a botched affair to date.

Her remarkable political background and her political qualifications would seem to have equipped her for the job.

Sebelius is the daughter of an Ohio Governor. She has a degree in political science from Trinity College and an MPA from the University ofKansas.

From 1997 to 1986 she was executive director of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, where she saw many lawsuits won against physicians. Sebelius was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, then was Kanas Insurance Commissioner. She was governor of Kansas until her appointment to HHS in 2009 as Congress was concocting the national health care overhaul.

During her term as Kansas governor, she defended Planned Parenthood Federation of America against charges it had committed felonies by falsifying the records of patients who underwent illegal late-term abortions. She is a committed opponent of any legislative restriction on women’s abortion rights. Many women may agree with this position. Many do not.

Pieces of the Affordable Care Act, as Obamacare is ironically called, were designed to appeal to seniors, such as free annual phy- sicals and mammograms. But Medicare has been cut by more than $500 billion, much of itchopped out of Medicare Advantage plans. These are Medicare plans run by private insurance companies, which provide extra benefits such as visual and dental care.

When I interviewed Secretary Sebelius a year or two ago, I recall her particular criticism of Medicare Advantage, which 14 million seniors chose over traditional Medicare. He opposition was based on the fact that it is run by private insurers rather than the government which in her eyes should run everything. Americans paid higher taxes on drugs as of 2011, will pay higher costs for medical devices of all kinds because of a tax on devices, and a higher income tax deduction for medical expenses in 2017.

For those with relatively high incomes, a tax of .9 percent will be applied to their compensation. While many low-income people pay no income tax, a large and growing number will owe Social Security and Medicare taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center. Even those making less than $23,000 paid some Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2013.

For the well-off, a 3.8 percent levy will be placed on various forms of investment income for individuals, trusts, and estates. The money will be added to the Medicare Trust Fund, but will be a lasting liability for taxpayers.

It is important to know something of the background and philosophy of Kathleen Sebelius. Many liberals will stand in agreement with her. But her rather shady background is important to know.

At the time of Sebelius’ appointment as Secretary of HHS, it was learned that she owed $7,800 in back taxes, that she was unable to provide receipts for some charitable contributions and business expenses she claimed, and that she had “mistakenly” taken a mortgage interest deduction on a home she had already sold. Not withstanding this, the Senate confirmed her on April 28, 2009.

Some may fail to keep accurate records of tax deductible expenses. Most of us are more careful.

She had previously declared that she was an enthusiastic supporter of a single-payer health care system and she became a supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the full name of Obamacare). The Obamacare law was delegated to her department. That same month she told Al Sharpton’s National Action Network that she was “delighted to be your partner” in promoting Obamacare. Few Americans consider Sharpton an effective or even honest civil rights leader.

Sebelius admitted to Congressional committees that she had double-counted the $500 billion in Medicare cuts as both a reduction and anaddition to Medicare. She also admitted seeking contributions of money fromcompanies regulated by her department.

Trying to justify her actions, she was quoted as saying: “It was always recognized…that there would never be enough money…if this were only a government-run program.” In a recent speech to the N.A.A.C.P., she compared opponents of Obamacare to southern segregationists.

Finally, Sebelius and other HHS officials recently were charged with using secret e-mail accounts in conducting government business, in violation of the law. Many seniors use e-mail. Few do so illegally.

When the state health insurance exchanges were supposed to open, they failed miserably. Secretary Sebelius insisted they eventually would, after spending more than $800 million to promote them. We’ll see. But it appears that Sebelius and Obamacare together will go down to defeat.