HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has told state and local officials the Obama administration is on track to meet its Nov. 30 deadline for fixing the federal health insurance exchange site, HealthCare.gov, according to a report from The Hill.
Secretary Sebelius told officials on a conference call there isn't a "magic turn-on switch" that will be flipped on Saturday to fix all of the site's problems, but the agency has made progress and users will have a better website experience, according to the report. Federal officials involved in the repair effort have previously said the site should run smoothly for most users by the end of this month.
Since its launch last month, the federal exchange website has experienced numerous technical issues, such as people not being able to create accounts, frustrating consumers and drawing criticism from the healthcare reform law's opponents. HHS and CMS leaders have said they are working around the clock to fix the site and that it should run smoothly for most users by the end of this month.
Earlier this month, HHS released enrollment figures for the site's first month, revealing only 26,794 people successfully completed applications and selected health plans through the federal health insurance exchange site from Oct. 1 to Nov. 2. An additional 79,391 people enrolled through state-based exchanges.
Last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters one in five people who start the process online still won't end up purchasing insurance through the federal exchange site, although the technical issues won't be the only obstacle stopping that 20 percent from enrolling. Mr. Carney said some won't feel comfortable purchasing coverage using a computer, while others might have complicated tax situations that prevent the website from determining their eligibility for subsidies.
At a hearing last week before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Chao, deputy CIO at CMS, stated between 30 and 40 percent of HealthCare.gov has not yet been built, including the accounting and payment systems that handle the premium subsidies.
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