U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told lawmakers she didn't ask companies regulated by her department for money to help promote the health reform law, FierceHealthcare reported. Testifying before a House oversight committee Tuesday, Sebelius said she admitted to calling three companies regulated by HHS--Johnson & Johnson, healthcare system Ascension Health, and insurer Kaiser Permanente--requesting support. But she clarified that she reached out to them on behalf of Enroll America, a nonprofit group that promotes health reform.
Instead of requesting financial donations, Sebelius said she urged the companies to support Enroll America's work. "I have made two calls involving funding, to Robert Wood Johnson [Foundation] and H&R Block, neither of whom are under the regulatory authority of our office," Sebelius said. She added that no federal law prevents her from soliciting donations from companies regulated by her department, but she voluntarily chose not to make fundraising appeals. >> Read the full article at FierceHealthcare