Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is slated to resign her post today, just as the ACA exchange plan has exceeded its first year enrollment goal. Sebelius has served as HHS secretary since 2009. A White House source has said that President Obama plans to nominate Sylvia Matthews Burwell, who currently serves as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace Sebelius.
Secretary Sebelius was heavily criticized for the troubled rollout of the Healthcare.gov site last October. Users experienced rampant technical difficulties when trying to register and were sometimes unable to access the site at all. As the site performance improved, calls for Sebelius to resign died down. As Sebelius tenders her resignation, enrollment appears to be at about 7.5 millions sign-ups.
The President is expected to nominate Burwell sometime today with Sebelius at his side. Burwell has been in her current position since last April. Prior to her stint at the Office of Management and Budget, Burwell headed the Walmart Foundation, the charitable giving arm of the retail chain. She also served in President Clinton’s administration in the Treasury.
