A Bonus for a Botched Obamacare Exchange

American Spectator ^ | 8/3/2015 | David Catron

[rootin tootin]

When former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley signed the bill that created his state’s Obamacare exchange, he bragged that it was “being established using no state funds… due to federal grants.” Later, when the online “marketplace” exploded on the launch pad and a new IT company was hired to untangle the wreckage, O’Malley’s top health official assured Maryland voters that this would be paid for with “leftover federal grants.” Consequently, it surprised many when Maryland’s Attorney General announced a $45 million settlement with the original contractor the proceeds of which would be split between the federal government and the state.

But why would the state receive any part of the settlement if, as O’Malley and his officials were at pains to point out, all the money used to build and repair the exchange came from Washington?

Maryland was given more than $179 million in federal grants. About $73 million was paid to Noridian Healthcare Solutions, the original contractor with which the state’s AG has purportedly reached the repayment agreement, and another $41 million was paid to the IT firm that cleaned up the mess. Even after its disastrous debut, then, Maryland still had about $65 million left in federal money. It’s difficult to believe that any state government, even one run by a profligate Democrat like Martin O’Malley, went through all that cash and still had to raid the state’s coffers to get its Obamacare “marketplace” up-and-running.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!