Lawmakers 'beg' Sebelius for child's lung transplant

Jun 6 2013

A 10-year-old girl in urgent need of a transplant was brought up by some GOP lawmakers during Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' appearance at a House hearing.

Kaiser Health News: GOP Lawmakers Press Sebelius To Help Child Awaiting Transplant
A child in desperate need of a lung transplant clinging to life. Long waiting lists of patients who need organs and too few donors to meet the demand. Rules that govern who gets what life-saving organs – and when. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had to confront all those issues on Tuesday when Republican lawmakers asked her repeatedly why she would not use her authority to make sure a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl gets a lung transplant that could save her life (Carey, 6/4).

Politico: Kathleen Sebelius At Center Of Storm Over Child's Lung Transplant
[I]t's shining a light on what critics say is a questionable policy that puts children further down the waiting list. ... I'm begging you," Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) told Sebelius at a House hearing Tuesday morning, asking her to suspend the transplant rules until they can be revisited. "Sarah has three to five weeks to live. Time is running out." The child has cystic fibrosis. At the hearing, Sebelius called the situation "agonizing" and said she had talked to the girl's mother. She has ordered a review of the policy, which she acknowledged would take too long to have any impact on this girl's situation, but said it wasn't her place to pick and choose transplant recipients (Norman, 6/4).