
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (AP Photo)
“So the personal reward for me at the end of the day are the folks who approach me, the strangers who approach me at a meeting or pass me a note on a plane or hand me a phone with someone on the other end saying thank you. Their stories are so heartening about finally feeling secure and knowing they can take care of themselves and their families. Unfortunately, a page is missing,” she said after a long pause.
Sebelius continued her speech by expressing her gratitude “for having had this wonderful opportunity.”
In the Rose Garden press conference, President Barack Obama announced Sebelius’ departure and named her successor - OMB Director Sylvia Burwell.
“In early March, Kathleen Sebelius, my secretary of Health and Human Services told me she’d be moving on once the first open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act came to an end, and after five years of extraordinary service to our country and 7.5 million Americans who signed up for health coverage through the exchanges, she’s earned that right,” Obama said.