Sebelius Called Health Companies to Push Law’s Publicity

U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she talked with health-care companies she regulates, including Johnson & Johnson, about helping a nonprofit group publicize the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Ascension Health, a Catholic health-care system, and the nonprofit hospital and insurance company Kaiser Permanente were also urged to lend support, though no financial contributions were requested, Sebelius told lawmakers at a hearing today in Washington. All three companies are subject to oversight by Sebelius’s agency, the Health and Human Services Department.