Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to assess the security of the data hub for the new health insurance exchanges, according to a report from The Hill.
The hub — which would gather information from federal agencies and state governments — is set to go online Oct. 1, along with the insurance exchanges, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The hub will be used to process applications for health insurance and determine eligibility for tax credits to cover the cost of premiums.
In a letter to the GAO, Sen. Hutch requested details on the security and privacy of the hub, risk management efforts from federal agencies involved in the hub's creation and plans for correcting any issues, according to the report.
Earlier this week, the HHS Office of Inspector General released a report stating a CMS contractor missed scheduled deadlines for submitting security documents concerning the hub. The report also mentioned that CMS is working with "very tight" deadlines to assess, test and implement security measures before the Oct. 1 open enrollment date for the exchanges.
CMS is confident the hub will be operationally secure by Oct. 1, CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner wrote in a July 31 letter to Kay Daly, the assistant inspector general, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Sen. Hatch isn't the first lawmaker to voice concerns about the data hub's security. Last month, Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) introduced a bill that would delay the launch of a federal data hub under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Rep. Meehan cited concerns about "unprecedented" potential for theft or abuse of personal information stored in the hub.
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