--- description: Obama thanked his resigning Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for her work on Obamacare title: Obamacare: Barack Obama Says Goodbye to Kathleen Sebelius image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb73129bc4a75f495/69868a44169ab083ce278c39/president-barack-obama-kathleen-sebelius-joe-biden-obamacare2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Obamacare](/tag/obamacare/) ## Obamacare Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # President Praises Sebelius as She Heads Out the Door by [Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 3:44 PM CUT  U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stand with outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (second from left) and his nominee to be her replacement, Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2014. U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden stand with outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (second from left) and his nominee to be her replacement, Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 11, 2014.Charles Dharapak—AP by [Zeke Miller](/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 3:44 PM CUT President Barack Obama praised Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius on Friday as she announced her [resignation](http://time.com/58555/kathleen-sebelius-resigns/ "undefined") after five years in his administration. Speaking in the Rose Garden to a cheering audience of cabinet secretaries and administration staff, Obama said Sebelius had “earned” the right to move on to other opportunities, acknowledging [the turbulent rollout](http://time.com/691/obamas-race-for-the-cure/ "undefined") of the health care reform law and the toll it took on both he and Sebelius. But at the end, he said, they have prevailed. “She’s got bumps. I’ve got bumps, bruises,” Obama said. “But under Kathleen’s leadership, her team at HHS turned the corner, got it fixed, got the job done, and the final score speaks for itself.” Sebelius told lawmakers Thursday that more than 7.5 million Americans had enrolled in private insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges, beating targets. Sebelius called her work health reform “the most meaningful work I’ve ever been a part of,” thanking the president for giving her the opportunity to serve. “Critics and supporters alike are benefiting from his law,” she said. Obama announced his intent to nominate [Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell](http://time.com/59439/kathleen-sebelius-sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamacare/ "undefined") to replace Sebelius. She was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to that post last year, and Obama called on the Senate to swiftly confirm her to the HHS post. “In the year since she arrived, the deficit has plunged by more than $400 billion,” Obama said, praising Burwell as “a rock, a steady hand on the wheel” for her handling of last year’s government shutdown. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/59564/obamacare-kathleen-sebelius-barack-obama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/59564/obamacare-kathleen-sebelius-barack-obama/"},"headline":"President Praises Sebelius as She Heads Out the Door","datePublished":"2014-04-11T15:44:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:16:09.230Z","description":"President Obama thanked resigning HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for her work on Obamacare. 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