Barack Obama promoted the current budget director, Sylvia Matthews Burwell, to Secretary of Health on Friday, April 11, after Kathleen Sebelius' surprising resignation.
After a chaotic launch in Sebelius' hands, the second phase of the health reform promoted by Obama, better known as "Obamacare", will continue under the control of Sylvia Burwell, reported Reuters a few hours ago.
The disastrous launch of Obamacare, which included a series of technical problems in the digital registration platforms has been said by many specialists to be the real reason for Sebelius to resign her position, despite that on the same Thursday when she resigned, it was reported that 7.5 million people registered for the new insurance market.
During a conference from the White House, President Obama revealed that Sebelius said she wished to resign her position after the first registration period ended, a right he said, she earned "after 5 years of extraordinary service to the country and the 7 million subscribers," according to CNN.
"I will miss her advice, her friendship and her charisma," said the President.
During Burwell's introduction as the new Secretary of Health, Obama praised Burwell's previous work as budget director and said he trusts she will do a good job.
"Sylvia is a proven manager, and she knows how to deliver results. These are difficult tasks, big challenges," said the President, according to USA Today.
Sebelius led the Department of Health for 1,808 days until last Friday, 500 more than the average Secretaries of Health who have occupied the position since 1977, reported The Washington Post.