It’s hard to believe healthcare.gov has been online more than a month already. The website wasn’t ready for primetime when it was launched. Technical experts say there are serious design problems. The Obama Administration has suggested people call instead of going online, but that doesn’t help because enrolling in the new health care program by phone requires the same computer infrastructure that’s causing problems for online visitors.
When people do manage to register themselves on healthcare.gov, it’s not clear insurance companies are able to take the next step and enroll the registrants in health care coverage. News reports show problems with the individual information insurers use to enroll the individuals in a health care plan. Inaccurate or corrupted data would interfere with successful enrollment. That has implications for when the Administration should enforce the individual mandate requiring enrollment. It would be unfair to penalize people for not having health insurance when technical problems have impeded their enrollment.
Enrollment numbers continue to be extremely hard to come by. That’s worrisome. Government programs should be transparent because transparency brings accountability for the significant taxpayer dollars and resources at stake.
Performing our constitutional responsibility of oversight of the executive branch of government, a fellow senator and I are seeking information on our own. We asked four major health insurers for their healthcare.gov enrollment numbers, and we sought contracts and cost information from the companies that built the flawed healthcare.gov.
This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will testify before the Finance Committee, with jurisdiction over much of the new health care program. She should expect to deliver concrete facts on the new health care program’s troubled rollout and provisions that are affecting millions of Americans, from cancellation of their current insurance to reductions in their work hours related to the new law.
The President achieved what he sees as the signature accomplishment of his tenure. He and his Administration are responsible for every aspect of that signature accomplishment, including what doesn’t work and what undermines the previously successful parts of the health care system.