The Republican National Committee has sent a Freedom of Information Act request to CMS concerning the number of people who have successfully enrolled in health plans through HealthCare.gov, the federal health insurance exchange website.
The RNC believes releasing the enrollment numbers is the only way for the Obama administration to prove the site isn't a failure, in light of numerous technical problems that have surfaced since its launch, according to a news release.
The FOIA request asks for any and all data concerning each successful purchase of a health insurance policy through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exchanges administered by CMS. It also includes any and all documents or communications related to the collection of successful enrollee data.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in the release that Americans need to have access to this information so they can see "just how terrible the system is and how poorly designed the law was."
Since the healthcare reform law's marketplaces opened for enrollment, Republicans have criticized the federal exchange site for technical errors including people not being able to create accounts on HealthCare.gov, dysfunctional drop down tools and the site crashing due to high traffic.
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee plan to hold a hearing Thursday concerning the healthcare reform law's "troubled rollout," and Republican lawmakers have called for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to resign.
However, Sec. Sebelius has expressed no intention of resigning, and the Obama administration has expressed "full confidence" in her, according to a report from The New York Times. President Obama has described the glitches as speed bumps any new product rollout is bound to encounter.
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GOP Demands Sec. Sebelius's Resignation, She Stands Firm