The deadline to set up a federal health insurance marketplace before 2014 — a key component of the healthcare reform law — has pushed the Obama administration to rely on outside contractors, leaving little time to scrutinize private sector partners for conflicts of interest, according to a Healthwatch report.
For instance, UnitedHealth Group purchased Quality Software Services, Inc. this summer, a major healthcare conglomerate that won a large contract to build a federal data services hub to help run the federal health insurance exchange in January, according to the report.
This purchase has sparked concerns among legislators who believe it creates an uneven playing field, especially since the transaction was not disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the report.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) cites a lack of transparency and has asked HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a full account of contractors hired to set up the national exchange and a list of administration officials who signed off on those awards. According to the report, he wants to know whether HHS reviewed UnitedHealth Group's purchase of QSSI to determine whether it created a conflict of interest.
Ms. Sebelius has not given Mr. Hatch the report of contractors and administration officials. Erin Shields Britt, a spokeswoman for HHS, has said that HHS "evaluates contracts to ensure there are no conflicts of interest," according to the report.
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For instance, UnitedHealth Group purchased Quality Software Services, Inc. this summer, a major healthcare conglomerate that won a large contract to build a federal data services hub to help run the federal health insurance exchange in January, according to the report.
This purchase has sparked concerns among legislators who believe it creates an uneven playing field, especially since the transaction was not disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the report.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) cites a lack of transparency and has asked HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a full account of contractors hired to set up the national exchange and a list of administration officials who signed off on those awards. According to the report, he wants to know whether HHS reviewed UnitedHealth Group's purchase of QSSI to determine whether it created a conflict of interest.
Ms. Sebelius has not given Mr. Hatch the report of contractors and administration officials. Erin Shields Britt, a spokeswoman for HHS, has said that HHS "evaluates contracts to ensure there are no conflicts of interest," according to the report.
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