By Elise Viebeck – 01/15/15 11:09 AM EST
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Thursday promised a “vigorous” defense of ObamaCare this Congress as she outlined policy priorities she said could receive bipartisan support, such as addressing prescription drug abuse and accelerating the development of medical cures.
“I hope we can move beyond the back and forth of the Affordable Care Act,” Burwell said at the New America Foundation.
She also downplayed Republican plans to target pieces of the healthcare law now that the GOP is in control of both chambers on Capitol Hill.
“We want to find the places where the Act can be improved. We welcome that conversation; we look forward to it. But we want to make progress on issues where we know there is common ground,” she said.
The speech gave a sense of where Burwell will focus her energy for the duration of her time at HHS, and also underscored the Obama administration’s disinclination to accommodate the fiercest GOP critics of the healthcare law.
