1,968 New and Expanded Secretarial Powers in Health Law

January 19, 2011 07:13


The Center for Health Transformation (CHT) released a new chart revealing the nearly 2,000 new and expanded powers given to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius under the healthcare law.

The chart, titled “The New and Expanded Secretarial Powers in the Health Reform Law,” shows the exact legislative language from the 2,409-page law and the 1,968 grants of new and expanded powers to the secretaries of Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services.  The overwhelming majority of which will fall under HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, from powers over access to drugs and insurance coverage to care delivery processes and changes to Medicare.

Examples of the 1,968 unprecedented powers include:

  • The Secretary will now identify, as appropriate, categories and classes of drugs that the Secretary determines are of “clinical concern” (Section 3307);
  • The Secretary will decide how drugs are dispensed in long-term care facilities (Section 3310);
  • The Secretary will develop oral healthcare components, including “tooth-level surveillance,” a clinical examination of every dental surface in the mouth (Section 4102);
  • The Secretary may establish insurance premium ratings for states (Section 1201);
  • The Secretary may conduct comparative effectiveness research (Section 6301).

“If you had any doubt about the importance of repealing the health reform law, the Center’s chart will give you 1,968 good reasons,” said CHT Founder and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. “This law gives control of the largest single sector of the American economy, not to mention the lives of every American, to an appointed bureaucrat.”
Vincent Frakes, CHT Federal Policy Director said, “The more than 2,700 pages that make up the health reform law and the nearly 2,000 delegations of authority to one person show just how onerous the legislation is and why the majority of Americans support its repeal.”

“This new chart is a great illustration of how the health reform law concentrates power under one unelected official and why a replacement model is needed that can help save lives and money across America,” Frakes said.

The chart is the third among several charts the Center has released over the past six months in an effort to help CHT members and the general public better understand the repercussions of the healthcare law.

To view the chart see below or to purchase copy or view, go to www.healthtransformation.net.

About the Center for Health Transformation (CHT)
The Center for Health Transformation is a high-impact collaboration of private and public sector leaders committed to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money for all Americans. CHT is based on the following premise: Small changes or reactionary fixes to separate pieces of the current system have not and will not work. We need a system-wide transformation. Unlike other alliances, CHT unites stakeholders across the spectrum (providers, employers, vendors, trade associations, disease groups, think tanks) and government leaders at both the state and federal level to drive transformation according to a shared vision and key principles.  For more information, visit www.healthtransformation.net

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For more information or interviews, please contact Alissa Momberg at (202) 375-5020 or amomberg@gingrichgroup.com.

The Obamacare regulatory power chart:

The chart is so large you will have to zoom in


 

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