HIX hearing: Plenty of blame to go around

The House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing centered around the problems with the federal health exchange website resulted in plenty of blame to go around.

Representatives from the four federal contractors--CGI Federal, Optum/QSSI, Serco and Equifax Workforce Solutions--working with the government on the federal exchange were asked to explain how the problems occurred, after they testified in September that the project was running smoothly and was on track for a successful launch.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) criticized the contractors, saying in September they "looked us in the eye and assured us repeatedly that everything was on track, except that it wasn't." However, he added, "This is more than a website problem. The website should have been the easy part. I'm also concerned about what happens next. Will enrollment glitches become provider payment glitches? Will patients show up at their doctor's office or hospital only to be told that they aren't covered, or even in the system?"

Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) demanded that the contractors provide the names of administration officials involved in decision making, saying, "I would venture to guess the regular bureaucrats did their job. The political appointees manipulated."

Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee posed equally pointed questions about the problems plaguing the exchanges, but also accused Republicans of trying to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) expressed frustration with Republicans' questions, and described the hearing as a "monkey court." In response to the questions raised about privacy concerns, Pallone said, "You are trying to scare people so they don't apply" for health insurance on the exchanges. He also accused Republicans of trying to undermine public trust in the law in an effort to delay or repeal it.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) said the ACA is "an enormous success," the only problem being the exchange website. Others said the problems with the website were unacceptable and needed to be fixed fast.

The individuals representating the contractors said the problems were the result of a combination of factors, not the least of which is the government's role. The contractors each tested their own components independently well before the Oct. 1 launch date but federal officials waiting until the last few weeks to conduct end-to-end testing. 

Cheryl Campbell, senior vice president at CGI Federal, said that, despite the problems, "the system is working" and soon "people will enroll at a faster pace."