Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday promised major initiatives to increase availability of health insurance and steer state contracts to companies that provide sound benefits to their employees.

Her comments came in a speech to members of the Kansas AFL-CIO during the union’s meeting to endorse candidates in the November election.

While not on the ballot this year, Sebelius, a Democrat, urged laborers to support candidates seeking positions from the White House to the Statehouse who will work on ways to provide health coverage.

Of the nation’s 44 million uninsured, she said, “That’s just flat wrong.”

Sebelius said she would propose a system to help employers provide low-wage workers with insurance through an insurance pool, and reduce administrative expenses in the health care system.

As an example of excess administrative expenses, she noted she has one card that allows her to withdraw money from banks across the country, but needs six cards to access health coverage in Topeka.

Sebelius also said her administration would put into effect rules allowing the state, when awarding contracts, to consider whether bidding companies provide health insurance and pensions to their workers.

She said taxpayers wind up footing the bill for employers who don’t provide benefits for their workers when they get ill or injured.