Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has resigned her position as the embattled secretary of Health and Human Services, ending a controversial period in which she oversaw the initial rollout of President Barack Obama’s health care plan.
Sebelius was in her second term as Kansas governor when she left that position for a Cabinet post in the Obama administration after the 2008 election. She became a point person for criticism when website breakdowns complicated early enrollments under the Affordable Care Act, the President’s signature legislative achievement.
Her resignation comes just one week after the end of the first enrollment period for the health care plan, most commonly known as Obamacare. While the opening weeks of the rollout were marred by complications, the administration rebounded strongly by enrolling more than 7.5 million people in the new insurance marketplaces.
Sebelius’ five-year tenure in the Obama administration was filled with controversy, most of it centered around the passing and later implementation of the ACA.
Many critics, including the Kansas Congressional delegation, called for her firing months ago. Other people suggest she was a scapegoat — the point person for critics who dislike everything about the ACA — but even they acknowledge that it was probably time for Obama to make a change. Still others suggest that after a difficult rollout, the ACA is finally up and running and providing health insurance options for Americans who might not otherwise have it.
What is your view? Feel free to participate in the poll attached to this story, or post comments in the section provided below to registered users of CJOnline.