HIX debate continues, VA privacy efforts fail to impress

This week brought some disturbing news on the privacy and security front with the report that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has experienced more than 14,000 privacy breaches since 2010.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review conducted a two-month investigation that found that the 14,215 included everything from theft of veterans' identities and prescriptions to Facebook posts that included photos of veterans' body parts. The breaches affected 101,018 veterans and 551 VA employees.

While the VA says it "places the highest priority upon safeguarding the personal information" of veterans and uses technology to protect their records, it seems their safeguarding efforts leave a lot to be desired.

Meanwhile, the furor over the rocky launch of health insurance exchanges on Oct. 1 led some Republicans to call for the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tweeted that Sebelius should be fired over the problematic and expensive website. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), from the state where Sebelius served as governor, accused her of misleading the public about the extent of the marketplaces' flaws. "Americans are tired of the Sebelius spin," Roberts said in a statement. "They can see ObamaCare has failed them. We need a secretary who can admit when enough is enough."

Supporters say the computer glitches just indicate that Americans are eager to seek out health insurance through the sites. It also seems that workers are doing everything possible to smooth the path for those using the exchanges.

What do you think of the problems surrounding the HIX launch? Please share your thoughts.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor