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The stormy tenure of Kathleen Sebelius

Madame Secretary Sebelius is ending a stormy tenure as cabinet head over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. President Barack Obama, who arguably had a hand in her termination, has already offered up her replacement — Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Who was at fault? Secretary Sebelius was at the helm as anxious Americans watched Healthcare.gov launch out of the paddocks last October only to fall flat on its face and lay there for many weeks. Some pundits question today whether the website ever got sturdy on all four legs, even now.

Washington has a way of offering up sacrificial lambs to protect individuals high in power. That may certainly be the case with Secretary Sebelius since she oversaw the HHS, but not the exchange website personally. Maybe she was just incompetent and her decision to resign was her own without much political pressure, as some are reporting. She did allow herself to be prompted with talking points that were filled with gobbledy-gook jargon and contradictory statements that came to light over time. What was her culpability in the Affordable Care Act debacle and overall law that many Americans still say they don’t support? How will her leaving change the politics and chances for ACA reform that both Democrats and Republicans admit is sorely needed?

The ACA is broke. This is your chance to weigh in on this pivotal political move on an issue we all care about.

Penny for your thoughts?

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Healthcare reform
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