WASHINGTON — President Obama said Friday that he was nominating his budget director, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, as the administration tries to move beyond its early stumbles in carrying out Mr. Obama’s health law.  If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Burwell would succeed Kathleen Sebelius, whose five-year tenure was marred by the disastrous rollout of the federal insurance marketplace that is a centerpiece of the law. Ms. Sebelius’s legacy, though, may well depend on whether Ms. Burwell and her successors can elevate public opinion of the law to a level matching programs like Medicare.  “What Kathleen will go down in history for is serving as the secretary of health and human services when the United States of America finally declared that quality, affordable health care is not a privilege but it is a right for every citizen,” Mr. Obama said in a Rose Garden ceremony that featured several standing ovations for the embattled departing health secretary.  Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times  The White House correspondent Michael D. Shear on what’s next for the Obama administration with Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, ending her five-year tenure.  The nomination of Ms. Burwell was expected. Ms. Burwell, 48, spent much of the last year mired in Washington’s fiscal fights, including the standoff that led to a 15-day government shutdown last fall. She also handled health policy as part of her job as Mr. Obama’s budget chief.  Ms. Burwell, a West Virginia native with degrees from Harvard and Oxford, had several jobs in the Clinton administration, including deputy budget director. Before joining the Obama administration, she worked for charitable organizations including the Walmart Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She was also on the board of directors of MetLife, the insurer.  Mr. Obama praised Ms. Burwell’s work in the budget office, pointing to declining budget deficits and the divided politics of government that defined her short tenure.  “When the government was forced to shut down last October, and even as her own team was barred from reporting to work, Sylvia was a rock, a steady hand on the wheel who helped navigate the country through a very challenging time,” Mr. Obama said.  In her confirmation hearings, Ms. Burwell will almost surely have a tougher time than she had last year, when the Senate voted 96 to 0 to confirm her appointment as director of the Office of Management and Budget.  Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times  President Obama, the secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, right, and the nominee to succeed her, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, discussed the new administration changes.  Republican lawmakers remain fiercely opposed to the health law, despite the administration’s claim of success in signing up more than 7 million people for health insurance, and they are expected to use the hearings to press their case for a repeal of the law. Democrats running for re-election in the coming midterm elections have faced blistering attacks for their support of the legislation.  Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader and a frequent critic of the health care law, issued a statement hinting at how Republicans would approach the confirmation hearing for Ms. Burwell.  “I hope this is the start of a candid conversation about Obamacare’s shortcomings and the need to protect Medicare for today’s seniors, their children and their grandchildren,” Mr. McConnell said.  Mr. Obama accepted Ms. Sebelius’s resignation this week, most likely ending her long political career that stretches back to the Kansas legislature in the 1980s. She has been Mr. Obama’s only health secretary. Before that she was governor of Kansas and had been mentioned as a possible running mate for Mr. Obama in 2008.  Ms. Sebelius, in her farewell speech, called the Affordable Care Act the “most meaningful work I’ve ever been a part of. In fact, it’s been the cause of my life.”  “Throughout the legislative battles, the Supreme Court challenge, a contentious re-election and years of votes to turn back the clock, we are making progress, tremendous progress, and critics and supporters alike are benefiting from this law.”
In choosing Sylvia Mathews Burwell to lead the Health and Human Services Department, President Obama is hoping to leave the early health law stumbles behind.