Healthcare reform is top U.S. priority: Sebelius

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Healthcare reform is the top priority for the U.S. government this year, and the momentum is there to achieve it, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Tuesday.

Sebelius said there was "unprecedented" bipartisan cooperation to speed through reforms this year.

"In the Senate, Democrats have been working closely together and with their Republican counterparts. Key chairmen have committed to passing reform legislation out of their respective committees in June," Sebelius said.

"And, just last week, Congress passed a budget blueprint that includes an historic commitment to funding comprehensive health care reform," Sebelius told the Council on Foundations. in her first public address since being confirmed a week ago as President Barack Obama's health and human services secretary.

"At the same time, the old opponents of reform have joined our effort to change the status quo. Groups and organizations that were once fierce enemies have come to the table and embraced the call for real health care reform."

Most sides agreed that the U.S. healthcare system must be fixed, she said. "It is our single biggest challenge facing this country, facing this economy and it is our president's number one priority," Sebelius said.

"This is not political and it is not optional. Inaction threatens our health and our economic security," she said.

"Approximately 30 cents of every health care dollar are spent on billing, overhead and administration. Spending on the uninsured and the health care bureaucracy takes up nearly one half of every health care dollar and results in a system where we all pay more and get worse results. "

Sebelius said reform would have to include the following elements:

* Choice in providers and doctors. "No American should be forced to give up the doctor they trust or the health plan they like," Sebelius said.

* A cost-cutting element and quality drive

* Reform of the health delivery system

* A slowdown in the growth of costs of health care for businesses and government, which is driving the budget deficit

* Affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans so that people do not lose their health care if they lose their jobs

(Editing by Maggie Fox and David Storey)