WASHINGTON – Testifying before a House committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that she is accountable for the failures of the healthcare.gov website.
"In these early weeks, access to healthcare.gov has been a miserably frustrating experience for way too many Americans," Ms. Sebelius said at an Oct. 30 hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I’m as frustrated and angry as anyone with the flawed launch of healthcare.gov."
Ms. Sebelius apologized and said that she wanted Americans to know that "I’m accountable to you for fixing these problems." She added that she was "committed to earning your confidence back by fixing the site."
Kathleen Sebelius
It was the second consecutive day that an Obama administration official fielded tough questions from Congress on the problems with healthcare.gov, the main avenue for Americans in 36 states to shop for and enroll in health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) insurance exchanges.
When asked by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) who was "responsible for this debacle" surrounding healthcare.gov, Ms. Sebelius said, "Hold me accountable for the debacle. I’m responsible."
When asked whether anyone had suggested delaying the site’s Oct. 1 launch, Ms. Sebelius said that neither officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) nor information technology contractors had given such advice.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary also refused repeatedly to state how many Americans have enrolled in a plan through the website – or by phone or in person – claiming there is no reliable or confirmed data yet.
"The system isn’t functioning, so we are not getting that reliable data," she said, adding that good numbers will be available in mid-November. HHS has spent $118 million on healthcare.gov and $56 million on "other IT" to support the website, Ms. Sebelius said.
Republicans in Congress also questioned Ms. Sebelius about the insurance cancellation notices that thousands of Americans have received since Oct. 1.
"Americans are scared and frustrated," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.). "There are also millions of Americans coast to coast who no doubt believed the president’s repeated promise that if they liked their plan, they’d be able to keep it, no matter what. They are now receiving termination notices, and for those who lose the coverage they like, they may also be losing faith in their government."
Ms. Sebelius said insurers were cancelling policies in the individual market because the plans did not meet ACA criteria.
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) called the cancellation issue "another red herring." He said the real explanation is that "insurance companies are cancelling lousy policies with high prices because they can’t compete."
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Tex.) said he believed that administration officials had misled the committee and asked if Ms. Sebelius would seek the resignation of Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the CMS. Mr. Cohen’s office oversees the exchanges.
"I will not, sir," Ms. Sebelius responded.
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