PoliticsPoliticsSylvia Mathews Burwellhealth and human services

Sylvia Mathews Burwell Confirmed As HHS Secretary By Senate

Sylvia Mathews Burwell Confirmed As HHS Secretary By Senate
AP/The Huffington Post
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 14: Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Sylvia Mathews Burwell testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee May 14, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. If confirmed, Burwell will succeed Kathleen Sebelius to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 14: Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Sylvia Mathews Burwell testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee May 14, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. If confirmed, Burwell will succeed Kathleen Sebelius to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Senate confirmed Sylvia Mathews Burwell as Secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday.

Burwell was confirmed by a vote of 78-17.

More from the Associated Press below:

The 78-17 vote was a bipartisan show of support for the veteran government manager who most recently served as President Barack Obama's budget director.

But Burwell will have to act quickly to head off more insurance chaos this fall.

Despite a strong finish to open enrollment this year, HealthCare.gov is still dealing with unresolved issues ranging from possibly inaccurate insurance payments, to e-commerce basics.

The White House desperately wants to avoid more attention-grabbing problems when sign-up season starts Nov. 15. Democrats hope that Burwell's confirmation might usher in a fresh start for "Obamacare," but Republicans indicate they won't play along.

For more on Burwell, read HuffPost's profile here.

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