WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger was honored here Tuesday by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Praeger, a Republican who defied others in the GOP by supporting the Affordable Care Act, was honored for her “decades of elected service working across party lines to improve health care quality,” according to the NCQA.

raeger is in her third term as the state’s chief insurance regulator and is not running for re-election. She served in the Kansas Senate from 1993 until her election as commissioner in 2002.

In recent months, Praeger has been outspoken in her support of expanding Medicaid eligibility in Kansas. She also has been among the most active opponents of legislation that would allow Kansas to partner with other states seeking to gain control of Medicare and other federal health care programs.

In addition to Praeger, the NCQA cited four others for their efforts to improve health care quality:

• Dr. Don Berwick, founder of the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and the former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;

• Dr. Carolyn Clancy, assistant deputy undersecretary for Health, Quality, Safety and Value at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs;

• Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a fellow at the Center for American Progress and professor at the University of Pennsylvania;

• And Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California.

Established in 1871, the NCQA is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that tracks the quality of health care, informs consumers and accredits health plans.