News in brief - May 4, 2009

Sebelius confirmed as HHS chief

The U.S. Senate on April 28 confirmed Democratic Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Dept. of Health and Human Services secretary by a vote of 65-31, completing President Obama's Cabinet and ending a long nomination process.

Sebelius was Obama's second choice to run the health department. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D, S.D.) removed his name from consideration after reports surfaced that he had failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in federal income taxes on time. Sebelius faced her own late tax payment issue as well as controversy over her stances on abortion and comparative effectiveness research, but Democratic leaders were able to exceed the 60-vote margin required to overcome Republican objections and move to final approval.

American Medical Association President Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, congratulated Sebelius on her confirmation and said her experience as a Kansas governor and insurance commissioner made her well-suited to take the HHS helm and help implement needed health system reform.

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Americans fear loss of medical privacy

The vast majority of people in America are skeptical about the effectiveness of privacy protections for electronic health records, would not be willing to pay $200 a month in premiums for a health plan, and do not have problems accessing specialists, according to a new survey. The poll of 1,238 adults was conducted in March and released April 22 by the Harvard School of Public Health, Kaiser Family Foundation and National Public Radio.

While 75% of the respondents said it is very or somewhat important for health care professionals to use electronic health records that could be shared online, 76% said it was very or somewhat likely that an unauthorized person would get access to their medical records. But 67% of respondents said a move toward paperless records would improve the quality of medical care in the country.

Only 28% of those surveyed would pay $200 or more monthly for health insurance coverage, with 67% saying $200 is "too high." When asked about $100 monthly premiums, 65% of poll participants said they are willing to pay at least that much. The survey can be accessed online (www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/posr042209pkg.cfm).

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