Topeka ? In a partisan vote, House Republicans today killed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ healthcare reorganization plan.

The 77-44 vote stops an executive order by Sebelius, a Democrat, that would have realigned state healthcare programs. All votes to stop the plan were cast by Republicans. Forty-one Democrats and three Republicans voted against stopping the order.

Sebelius called a news conference after the vote. “This afternoon most Republicans in the Kansas House of Represenatives turned their backs on thousands of Kansans who deserve the best possible health care at the lowest possible cost,” she said.

She said Kansas citizens should be “outraged.”

Sebelius said her proposed changes were needed to better handle escalating healthcare costs and to deliver services more efficiently.

The plan had been endorsed by more than 100 healthcare organizations and no groups came out against it.

But Republican leaders criticized the plan as being short on details.

State Rep. Dean Newton, R-Prairie Village, said the proposal simply “moved employees from one building to another.”

Other Republicans said Sebelius formed her plan without legislative input.

Democrats defended the proposal as a meaningful step toward containing runaway healthcare costs.

“Accountability and better service is what this reorganization is trying to do,” state Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, said.

Other Republicans said Sebelius had some good ideas, but that Republicans were coming up with some of their own.

House Majority Leader Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, said the best proposals could be combined “so we go home winners.”

But some Democrats said the rejection of Sebelius’ plan was based on partisan politics.

“Today, House Republicans took the low, political road, when they could have chosen to make a simple, positive change to help Kansas families and to cut healthcare costs for the state,” House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, said.

But House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, said today’s vote will start “a meaningful debate on the future of healthcare policy in Kansas.”