Obamacare's Kathleen Sebelius resigns as Health secretary

Obamacare's Kathleen Sebelius resigned as secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Friday.

The news follows the first open enrollment period for President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Rumors are that Sebelius, 65, was in dangerous water after the HealthCare.gov website's tumultuous ride, but she insists the resignation was her idea.

Obama nominated Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace her.

"The president wants to make sure we have a proven manager and relentless implementer in the job over there, which is why he is going to nominate Sylvia," Denis R. McDonough, the White House chief of staff, told The New York Times.

Sebelius received harsh criticism for the technical issues that have plagued the health site since its launch Oct. 1. Despite these problems, Obama announced Thursday that enrollment had exceeded 7.5 million, a half a million more people than the administration's goal for 2014.

The administration worried that HealthCare.gov's rocky start would damage the president's legacy and, by association, so would Sebelius' presence - apparently a notion she agreed with.

"What was clear is that she thought that it was time to transition the leadership to somebody else," McDonough said. "She's made clear in other comments publicly that she recognizes that she takes a lot of the incoming. She does hope - all of us hope - that we can get beyond the partisan sniping."

Burwell, 48, is a Harvard and Oxford graduate with a background in economic policy.

"No matter who is in charge of H.H.S., Obamacare will continue to be a disaster," said Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Time magazine named Sebelius one of the five best governors in the country when she was governor of Kansas, and her name came up as a possible running mate during Obama's 2008 campaign.