Sebelius: 'Delay Is Not an Option'

Secretary pressed on ObamaCare 'navigators'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2013 2:27 PM CST
Sebelius: 'Delay Is Not an Option'
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Kathleen Sebelius was on Capitol Hill for another grilling today, this time from the Senate Finance Committee, in which she defied calls from both sides of the aisle to delay parts of the implementation of the ObamaCare. "Delaying the Affordable Care Act would not delay people's cancer or diabetes or Parkinson's disease," she said, according to the New York Times. "For millions of Americans, delay is not an option." (Though the Hill notes that in another exchange Sebelius said initial enrollment would be "quite low.")

Lawmakers took turns complaining about the law's rollout. Orrin Hatch accused Sebelius of being "untruthful" when she said implementation of the law was on track. In an exchange being touted by conservative sites Fox News and the Daily Caller, John Cornyn pointed out that the government didn't require criminal background checks for "navigators," the support staff who help people register. "So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual?" Cornyn asked. "This is possible," Sebelius replied. (More Kathleen Sebelius stories.)

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