Former Foundation Leader Confirmed as U.S. Health Secretary

The Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell Thursday to serve as secretary of health and human services, putting the former high-ranking nonprofit executive in charge of Medicare, Medicaid, and continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act, writes The New York Times.

Ms. Burwell joined the Obama administration last year as head of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Prior to that, she served tenures as president of the Walmart Foundation and head of global programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Although division over Obamacare has made the health secretary’s job particularly politically fraught, Ms. Burwell’s selection won bipartisan support, with 24 GOP senators and the two independents joining the Democratic majority in the 78-17 vote to confirm. In a separate article, the Times examines how Ms. Burwell’s small-town upbringing in West Virginia shaped her ability to build relationships in the realms of government and philanthropy.