Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D), President Obama's nominee to head HHS, sailed through a Thursday confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. According to press reports, during the hearing Sebelius addressed the prickly issue of universal health coverage by saying, "There may be variations about how best to reach the goal most effectively, most cost effectively, most efficiently, with the best health outcomes of insuring every American. I know the president is totally committed to that proposal, that every American should have health insurance."
Despite a revelation earlier in the week that Sebelius and her husband had filed amended tax returns to repay more than $7,000 — the latest in a string of Obama nominees with tax problems — the issue did not come up at the hearing. Some Republican senators objected to voting on Sebelius' confirmation the same day as her hearing, however, so the vote will be held after Congress returns from its current two-week recess.