Posted on 10/25/2013 3:18:58 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee downplayed the mounting concerns about the efficacy and integrity of the Healthcare.gov website because he was able to log on while fiddling around on his mobile device during today’s hearing.
Contractors including CGI Federal appeared before the committee today to answer questions about the failure of the Obamacare exchange website, but no administration officials testified.
“We are disappointed that the system is not in place and running the way we envisioned. But the contractors have given us assurances that they think everything will be every day better to the point where the deadline can be met for people to sign up, choose a health care plan in time for it to go into effect January 1. The absolute deadline for that to happen is December 15th,” the top Democrat on the committee, Henry Waxman (Calif.), told reporters.
“I think we need to keep in mind that many people already have been able to get their health care plan under the exchange — under the marketplace — under the federal and state marketplaces. And that many people are anxious to get health insurance. And we ought to make sure that it’s working, and not take the approach that some of my colleagues have taken: ‘If it’s not working now, we ought to abolish the whole system.’ Of course, they’ve been against it from the very first day, and wanted to abolish it, and even close out the government to try to eliminate the Affordable Health Care plan,” he continued.
“But we got to stay with it and make sure it’s done. And I was encouraged by the testimony that they feel that they can beat this deadline — absolutely deadline in December 15th — and that people can try now. Because many people are getting through.”
Waxman noted that he went on his iPad during the hearing “and I was able to access healthcare.gov.”
“And I told them I wanted to look at the different plans. They asked where I lived, and I said it was in California, so they referred me to Covered California. And I went on that. And in the course of 10 minutes, I was looking at the various health plans that were available to my constituents,” he said.
His experience was brought up by other Democrats in defense of the exchanges.
“My healthcare aide went on the Virginia — to the National Exchange, who lives in Virginia last night. She was able to register. She was able to research plans,” Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said during the hearing.
Outside the hearing, Waxman said, “I don’t want people to be discouraged.”
“If they can’t get through on the Internet web site, go to the call centers. Go the navigators. Go to the health clinics. Many of them can sign them up now. But if they — if they’ll keep trying, I feel encouraged that many of them will be able to get through,” he said.
Waxman also signaled that they’re going to steer accountability away from the White House, which reportedly requested last-minute changes that hid rate comparisons from non-registered users, toward the contractors and the Department of Health and Human Services.
“But the thing that I’m very clear about is that no one should be penalized for not getting a healthcare insurance plan if they couldn’t get on the web. And I think they’ll have enough time to do it by the deadline that, I think, is now at the end of March. But no one should be penalized if they weren’t able to do it because of the glitches in this — in this web program,” he said. “I don’t think we need to delay the requirement that individuals take their responsibility and get healthcare coverage. But if any individual was unable to get health care coverage, they shouldn’t be penalized, because it wasn’t their fault.”
much-needed *nasal* depilation procedure,
sounds like Congress can take a bite out of their own crap sandwich then...
Likely story. He was probably playing Angry Birds instead of listening to the testimony.
ROFL!
Waxman: I was able to login and set up a much needed Nostrildectamy.
Logged in? I don’t believe him. But it begs the question, was he stupid enough to enter his ss # and all of the other personal information needed to set up an account?
I know Congress is exempt from this, but it would be nice to see them at least lead the way and be required to set up an account.
It is a better bet that he went to one of the fake websites. Now that would be rich...
Lying sack of ugly shit Waxman. He couldn’t have looked at the various plans unless he had first put in all his personal information. I know damn good and well he did not put in his social security number, birthdate, etc in that leaking sieve of a website. Bastard is lying!
This pos Waxman and his staff all have defacto exemptions from Obama care
There was a Congressional and Senatorial staff uprising. All these weasly overpaid shits saw a huge hole in their take home pay because under the original 0-Care legislation they were going to be subject to the same crap law they were going to impose on us.
Obama himself visited Capitol Hill and ordered the rules be changed so that all Reps, Senators and their staffs would get a subsidy paid for by the taxpayers. This subsidy means o_Care has no negative effect on their earnings
OK so GO WITH that!!
Hey Everyone- Henry Waxman said its all OK now so GO GET YOUR FREE HEALTH CARE!!!
Actually, you no longer have to log in to see the rates, Obomba be praised.
Only one small problem...
The rates you can see are for two age brackets. If you are under 50, you see the rates for someone who is 27. If you are over 50, you see the rates for someone who is 50. If you happen to be 49 or 64, the REAL rates are much higher.
You only find out the real rates if you go to the insurance provider’s website.
So why do we not compel 0bama to register and then purchase Insurance??
Waxman has a nose for these kinds of things.
Actually, there’s no logical reason for the gov’t web site to exist...other than gathering your personal information. They could have save the half-billion, and 100,000 man-hours...simply by saying all policies for healthcare have to be A-B-C. Your health insurance must meet that minimum...after that, it doesn’t matter.
It would have been simple and kept the government out of the middle of this mess.
If you wrote down the top ten screw-ups of this whole episode....this makes the top ten....along with the open security hole where personal data at the stupid site is possibly siphoned off to Taiwan or Bulgaria.
” The absolute deadline for that to happen is December 15th,” the top Democrat on the committee, Henry Waxman (Calif.), told reporters.”
I have put a reminder in my calendar, Hank!
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