Topic: Medicare
Interview of Sandy Praeger, October 18, 2019
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
Former Kansas legislator Sandy Praeger describes in this 2019 oral history interview how she never anticipated having a career in politics when she ran for the Lawrence City Council. Praeger looks back on her service in the Kansas House and Senate and her time as the elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner. While in the Legislature, Praeger represented a Lawrence district that she described as being a place where "it was easy to run more on policy issues than any kind of political ideology." Praeger ran for the State Senate after one term in the House. Praeger built her Show Morebackground on health issues, including insurance, in the Legislature serving on the Public Health and Welfare, Children and Families, and Insurance and Financial Institutions committees. She recalls stepping into the role of committee Chair during her first session in the Senate and presiding as Vice President of the Senate many years later. Praeger's background on health policy came to the forefront while the country was implementing the Affordable Care Act which she strongly supported as Kansas Insurance Commissioner. Show Less
Interview of Kathleen Sebelius, October 28, 2022
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon and Duane Goossen
Kathleen Sebelius ran for the legislature to "go home." Her kids were ages two and five and she was eager to get out of a demanding job to spend more time at home--better work-life balance. In her 2022 oral history interview, she discussed the changes in the culture of the legislature and state government she experienced over the 30-plus years she served in public office. She observed that when both US Senate seats for Kansas came open in 1996, and Sam Brownback challenged incumbent Sheila Frahm for one of the seats, a fissure
Show Morewas created in the Republican party. Sebelius observed the insurance industry being very partisan and tilted toward the industry interests. Her discussion of budget issues during her terms as governor reveals her problem-solving process, even though her time in office was bookended by recessions. School finance also posed some unique challenges during her administration because the Great Recession got in the way of the court's mandates. Phill Kline, the Kansas Attorney General at the time urged Republicans to do nothing regarding school finance. The BEST teams created in the Sebelius administration were important to solving the budget crisis. This interview concludes with discussion of her selections of Lt. Governors and her experiences at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and her activities after leaving government service.Another oral history interview of Sebelius may be found in the Energy & Environment collection on this site.
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Interview of Eunice Rolfs, August 29, 2024
Interviewed by Joan Wagnon
Eunice Carlson Rolfs is a remarkable Kansan who, at the age of 97, has lived a fascinating life. She is the daughter of Frank Carlson who was a Kansas Legislator, U.S. Congressman, Senator and Governor of the State of Kansas. Her interview is filled with descriptions of growing up on a Concordia farm, where her chores included plucking eggs from underneath laying hens and carrying water from a well to the kitchen. She was surrounded by her family, including her Swedish grandparents and lots of friends. The Swedish Baptist Church of Concordia was a central focus Show Morein their family's life. She describes in great detail her father's unwilling entry into politics, the move to Washington DC upon his election to Congress, her great desire to return to Kansas which was the impetus for Carlson's run for Governor. She met her husband, E.J. Rolfs at Kansas University and they continued their productive lives in Junction City as part of a well-established banking family. Her father, now Senator Carlson, returned to Washington for another 18 years, filled with important legislation that benefitted Kansans and all Americans - Medicare, the Voting Rights Act to name a few. Show Less