Matt Rourke/AP
HHS Secretary Won't Quit Over Rocky Obamacare Rollout
Many Americans have tried and failed to buy insurance through the exchanges because the federal website has so many glitches.
Many have called for Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius' resignation over the rocky Obamacare rollout. Many Americans have tried and failed to buy insurance through the exchanges because the federal website has so many glitches. But Sebelius isn't throwing in the towel. Her brother, Donald Gilligan, tells The New York Times, "The fact that people are calling for her head does not surprise her or alarm her particularly."
Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, who voted to confirm Sebelius as secretary (and who is a longtime friend of her family), explicitly said, "We need new leadership." He also accused her of "gross incompetence." The Obama administration's goal is to have 500,000 people sign up for the Obamacare exchanges by the end of October, according to an internal memo obtained by the Associated Press. But the online marketplace glitches could prevent the administration from hitting that number.
Sebelius and HHS Department have not revealed current enrollment numbers. The secretary said Wednesday, "I am the first to admit that the launch was rockier than we would have liked." But she hopes people who have tried to sign up and failed will "come back" and try again.