President Barack Obama acknowledged technical issues with HealthCare.gov yesterday but defended the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as more than a website, according to a report from The New York Times.
President Obama spoke in the Rose Garden, declaring "no one is madder" than he is about the various glitches that have plagued the federal health insurance exchange site since it launched earlier this month. He said officials are working to address the issues, but also reminded his audience the reform law involves more than just a website, according to the report.
He provided little new information about the technical problems and the efforts to fix them. He also did not address the question of how many people have managed to successfully enroll in health plans so far, according to the report.
Since the healthcare reform law's marketplaces opened for enrollment, HealthCare.gov has experienced various technical difficulties such as people not being able to create accounts, dysfunctional drop down tools and the site crashing due to high traffic.
The glitches have drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers, who have pointed to the issues as proof of the law's poor design. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee plan to hold a hearing Thursday concerning the healthcare reform law's "troubled rollout," and Republican National Committee has sent a Freedom of Information Act request to CMS concerning the number of people who have successfully enrolled.
Over the weekend, federal officials announced they were bringing in "the best and the brightest" to fix the exchange site. However, White House officials haven't disclosed the names of experts who have reportedly offered to fix the glitches, according to the report.
More Articles on PPACA Glitches:
HHS Calls in Tech Experts to Fix HealthCare.gov
Republicans Ask CMS for Exchange Enrollment Information
Contractors: PPACA Marketplace Repairs Could Take Weeks