Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius called comments from Jonathan Gruber on the `` stupidity of the American voter '' regarding passage of the President 's signature health care law `` totally offensive '' and said she never worked with Gruber `` personally '' though he worked `` with a number of our agencies . '' Sebelius made her comments Monday after appearing on CNN , saying that the MIT economist was not an `` architect '' of Obamacare , as some have suggested , but agreed that he could be considered one by osmosis given his role in drafting the Massachusetts health care law that she said served as a `` template '' for Obamacare . But Gruber 's comments that the Obama administration misled voters could n't be further from the truth , she said . `` You could n't have debated this more . It could n't have been more open , '' Sebelius said , echoing comments President Barack Obama made after videos of Gruber surfaced online this month . Aside from an appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival this summer , Sebelius has largely steered clear of the public glare until she appeared on CNN Monday morning to promote health care enrollment period for 2015 . Sebelius resigns . Sebelius also said that her successor Secretary Sylvia Burwell is `` very eager '' for Sebelius to help publicize the second open enrollment period to sign up for health coverage that started this month . `` She 's very eager for me to do whatever it is that I can to help spread the word , '' Sebelius said of Burwell . `` This is always an all-hands-on-deck moment to get the word out that open enrollment is underway . '' Sebelius said she speaks with `` folks '' in the White House on a regular basis and spoke with Burwell as recently as this weekend . She also said , `` other than politics , '' she `` has no idea '' why the House GOP is suing Obama over changes to the law 's implementation , but said she tries to avoid speculating on legal issues . Sebelius added she is very aware that she has become the face of the health care law and the botched rollout of the health care enrollment website . `` There 's no question that we had a very rocky rollout to the website and a miserable eight weeks that is seared in my brain as well as everybody else 's , '' she said . Sebelius acknowledged that she and her team `` clearly ... did n't focus enough '' on the tech side of the rollout because she was more concerned about ensuring that enough Americans signed up and enough insurers jumped into the new health marketplace . But Sebelius also touted the successes of the law , pointing to close to 8 million users who successfully used the website and the 1 million signups by January 1 , 2014 . About 6.7 million people have now signed up for health coverage under the law since the 2013 rollout . Sebelius added that Obamacare has been `` branded badly '' and while many voters still balk when they hear `` Obamacare , '' polls suggest that voters agree with the health care law 's components . She said the term Obamacare `` has become very , very negative , '' but said individuals approve of the law 's policies to allow young people to say on their parents ' plan until they turn 26 and approve of policies preventing insurers from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions . `` I 'm not sure that we need to get people to love the act , they just need to understand what it 's about , '' she said . `` If they like the pieces of it , that 's fine . '' Sebelius had 'toughest job in Washington '
Sebelius said her successor is `` eager '' for her to help with the open enrollment push . The former Health and Human Service secretary called Jonathan Gruber 's comments `` totally offensive '' She said she did n't `` focus enough '' on the tech side of the Obamacare rollout . And while Obamcare has been `` branded badly , '' she said Americans like the policies that are part of the law .