Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Resigns

Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, pictured in October 2011.

Image: Charles Dharapak/Associated Press

By Chris Taylor2014-04-10 23:08:00 UTC

Kathleen Sebelius has decided to step down from her Cabinet post as the head of Health and Human Services, according to White House officials and a replacement is already waiting in the wings.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will shortly be nominated by President Obama as the next Health and Human Services secretary, reports the New York Times.

Sebelius is 65, and officials told the Times that she's stepping down of her own accord. But it can't have failed to escape anyone's attention that Sebelius presided over the disastrous initial roll-out of Healthcare.gov, the online insurance exchange mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

The site's open enrollment period ended last week, with more than 7.5 million U.S. residents newly signed up for health insurance. The timing of Sebelius' stepping down, in the warm afterglow of that announcement, allows the administration to take credit for it while also removing the Secretary associated with Healthcare.gov's earlier problems.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell in March 2013.

Image: Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

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Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Resigns