WASHINGTON Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama's choice for health secretary, told senators today that she wants to transform Medicare and Medicaid with a focus on prevention and primary care.

It's imperative to steer resources "toward wellness rather than sickness," Sebelius said in prepared testimony for the Senate Finance Committee, where senators were expected to ask more questions about her policies and politics than about $7,000 worth of mistakes she made on her taxes.

Overseeing the giant government-run insurance programs for the elderly, disabled and poor would be a major responsibility, and Sebelius said improvements are needed.

Sebelius said that, if confirmed, she hopes to use technology to better align Medicare and Medicaid payments with quality care. The payments to health care providers are often criticized as alternately inadequate or excessive.

There's a sense that the Senate needs to act quickly on Sebelius' nomination so lawmakers can push ahead with the ambitious schedule they have set for health reform legislation this year. The Finance Committee votes on whether to send the nomination to the full Senate.

Sebelius would run a department of 67,000 employees and a budget of more than $700 billion. Medicare, Medicaid, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health would be in her purview.