Obama lavishes praise on outgoing health secretary
“Under Kathleen’s leadership, her team at HHS turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done,” Obama said.
“And the final score speaks for itself.”
About 7.5m people have signed up for health insurance through the new law, exceeding expectations after website woes stymied sign-ups for weeks when enrolment opened last autumn.
The president’s praise for Sebelius also served as an implicit defence for the sweeping health measure that will be a centrepiece of his legacy. Still, her resignation sent a clear signal that the White House is seeking to turn the page on a difficult stretch for a law that remains unpopular with much of the American public.
Obama nominated his budget chief, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to replace Sebelius, calling her “a proven manager” who knows how to get results.
Sebelius, who has served as Obama’s health and human services chief for five years, was instrumental in steering the sweeping health law through Congress in 2010.
But her tenure was marred by widespread technical problems that crippled the sign-up website for weeks, sparking calls from Republicans for Sebelius’ resignation.
While Obama stood by Sebelius publicly throughout the troubled rollout, it became clear that her close relationship with the White House had frayed. West Wing officials said they felt blindsided by the extent of the technical problems and installed a longtime Obama adviser to oversee fixes.
As she announced her resignation, Sebelius called her work on the health law the “cause of my life”.
“We are at the front lines of a long-overdue national change,” she said.
White House officials said Sebelius approached the president about stepping down a month ago, suggesting that the close of the six-month enrolment window marked a natural point for a transition.
Officials said she also told the president he would be better served by a secretary who was less of a political target.
