Sylvia Mathews Burwell nominated as next US HHS Secretary as Sebelius quits

On Friday in a Rose Garden ceremony, US President Barack Obama announced that Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the current director of the Office of Management and Budget, has been nominated to follow Kathleen Sebelius, who has resigned from the post, as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Ms Sebelius (pictured), appointed HHS Secretary in April 2009, had faced calls for her resignation – primarily from Republican politicians who have criticized the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare” - over the flaw-filled launch of the Obamacare website.

One of her final acts as Secretary was to announce last Thursday that 7.5 million people had enrolled for insurance via exchanges set up by the government under the law – the biggest change to public health programs for almost 50 years. That level of enrolment marks a turnaround for Mr Obama after web site problems and other glitches marred the launch of insurance exchanges in October, delivering a blow to the administration and Democratic supporters of the law, commented the UK’s Financial Times.