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ROCKIER THAN WE WOULD HAVE
LIKED.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS GALE
WOLENSKI, FORMER MEDICARE
DIRECTOR DURING THE GEORGE H.W.
BUSH ADMINISTRATION, ALSO A
BOARD MEMBER OF UNITED HEALTH
GROUP AND ANISH TOPRA, FORMER
TECHNOLOGY OFFICER FOR THE OBAMA
WHITE HOUSE.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN AND THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION SO WELL KNOWN FOR
BEING ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF
TECHNOLOGY.
YOUR JOB DID NOT EXIST AT THE
WHITE HOUSE BEFORE YOU HAD IT,
YET THE BIGGEST ROLLOUT OF
SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES
EXPERTISE WHEN IT COMES TO THE
WEB, AND IT IS NOT GOING WELL,
TO SAY THE LEAST.
WHY DIDN'T HE USE PEOPLE LIKE
YOU, PEOPLE LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO
RAN HIS DATA MINING AND INTERNET
DURING THE CAMPAIGN AND WHAT
EXACTLY IS GOING WRONG?
>> WELL, LET ME BEGIN, I'M VERY
CONFIDENT THERE'S A GREAT GROUP
OF PEOPLE WORKING THIS ISSUE
RIGHT NOW.
LOOK, THE NATURE OF THE
PROBLEM --
>> I'M NOT, BY THE WAY.
>> THAT'S FAIR.
FAIR ENOUGH.
LOOK, THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
IS RELATIVELY WELL-DEFINED.
THEY EXPECTED ABOUT 60,000
PEOPLE TO SIGN UP FOR AN ACCOUNT
AT ROUGHLY THE EXACT SAME TIME.
THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.
THEY ENDED UP GETTING ABOUT
250,000 PEOPLE SIGNING UP FOR AN
ACCOUNT AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.
THAT SIGNIFICANT INCREASE
ESSENTIALLY OVERWHELMED THE
SYSTEM LEADING TO THE GLITCHES.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE'RE NOT
INVENTING A NEW FORM OF PHYSICS.
WE'RE SIMPLY ADDRESSING THE
PROBLEM THAT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED.
THEY ARE LOOKING TO FIND WAYS TO
EXPAND THAT CAPACITY AT THAT
ACCOUNT CREATION STEP.
IT WILL BE RESOLVED OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.
I'M VERY CONFIDENT OF THAT.
HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL BE A
FOOTNOTE IN THE CHALLENGES WHEN
WE LOOK BACK ON THE PROCESS.
>> GALE, THIS PROBLEM IS NOT
LIMITED TO THE FEDERAL
EXCHANGES.
SOME STATES HAVE SET UP THEIR
OWN OBAMA CARE WEB SITES AND
PEOPLE HAVE HAD TROUBLE LOGGING
ON.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON?
>> WELL, I WANT TO MAKE A SLIGHT
ADDENDUM TO WHAT WAS JUST SAID.
THERE CLEARLY WAS A VOLUME
ISSUE.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THAT WERE
THE ONLY PROBLEM THAT'S BEEN
UNCOVERED.
AT LEAST ACCORDING TO A LOT OF
OTHER I.T., INDEPENDENT I.T.
EXPERTS, IT'S BEEN SOFTWARE
ISSUES IN ADDITION TO NOT
KNOWING WHAT THE VOLUME WAS
GOING TO BE.
THERE IS ALSO A POLICY DECISION
THE ADMINISTRATION MADE EARLY ON
THAT HAS INCREDIBLY INCREASED
THE BURDEN ON THE SYSTEM.
NORMALLY, IF YOU WANT TO GO
ONLINE AND BUY SOMETHING, YOU
CAN BROWSE ANONYMOUSLY, DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE
INTERESTED AND THEN GO THROUGH
THE PROCESS OF PROVIDING
PERSONAL INFORMATION.
THE ADMINISTRATION MADE THE
DECISION THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT
PEOPLE TO LOOK AT OPTIONS UNLESS
THEY ALSO HAD THE SUBSIDY THAT
THEY WOULD RECEIVE AVAILABLE TO
THEM, THEY WERE AFRAID OF
STICKER SHOCK.
>> LET'S GET A RESPONSE TO THAT.
>> MAYBE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT
BACK TO GAIL.
LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR.
AT THE SAME TIME THE
ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHED
HEALTHCARE.GOV, THEY HAD A
WEBSITE CALLED
DATA.HEALTHCARE.GOV THAT WOULD
ALLOW ANYONE IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR, MEDIA ORGANIZATION,
NONPROFIT, TO TAKE THE RAW FILE
OF EVERY PLAN AND EVERY PRICE
AND PRESENT IT TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AS OPEN INFORMATION.
THERE WAS NOTHING ABOUT THAT WAS
MEANT TO BE HIDDEN.
SO THAT INFORMATION WAS MADE
AVAILABLE.
NOW, THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF ON
HEALTHCARE.GOV OBVIOUSLY
PRIMARILY WAS ABOUT MAKING SURE
THAT THE RIGHT PERSON WAS GIVEN
THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND I WILL
ALSO SAY, AS SOON AS THIS
CRITICISM HAD COME OUT, IT
DIDN'T EVEN TAKE A DAY OR TWO,
YOU CAN TODAY ANONYMOUSLY SHOP
ON HEALTHCARE.GOV, KIND OF
REFLECTING THIS NIMBLE RESPONSE.
>> THE ADMINISTRATION IS
REFUSING TO GIVE THE NUMBERS OF
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP,
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ENROLLED.
ORIGINALLY THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T
HAVE THE DATA.
NOW THEY SEEM TO HAVE IT, THEY
JUST DON'T WANT TO SHARE IT
UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER.
THAT SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT VERY
FEW PEOPLE ARE ENROLLING AND
THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE NUMBER
TO INCREASE.
>> LOOK, THE COMMITMENT WAS
THERE ON TRANSPARENCY.
A LOT OF INFORMATION IS
AVAILABLE AT DATA.HEALTHCARE.GOV
AND YOU WILL SEE THE NUMBERS
EVERY MONTH AS HAVE BEEN
COMMITTED.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE "THE
WASHINGTON POST" YESTERDAY DID A
STUDY LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE
NIELSEN-LIKE SERVICES ON THE
INTERNET BASED ON WHAT WAS
REPORTED IN "THE POST" OVER ONE
MILLION ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN
CREATED.
SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE WERE
ANTICIPATED TO BUY HEALTH
INSURANCE THROUGH THE EXCHANGES.
IF A MILLION ON THE FEDERAL SITE
HAVE ALREADY SET UP THE ACCOUNT,
THAT'S A PRETTY BIG NUMBER IN
JUST THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO.
>> WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET,
THOUGH.
>> NOT OFFICIALLY BUT THAT HAD
BEEN REPORTED.
>> GAIL, SOME REPUBLICANS,
INCLUDING SENATOR PAT ROBERTS OF
KANSAS, WHO HAS HAD A SOMEWHAT
FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, A
FORMER GOVERNOR FROM THAT STATE,
ARE NOW CALLING FOR HER
RESIGNATION BECAUSE OF THE
FAILURE OF THIS WEBSITE TO
PERFORM UP TO I THINK
EVERYBODY'S EXPECTATIONS,
INCLUDING PRESIDENT OBAMA'S.
DO YOU THINK THAT SHE SHOULD
RESIGN?
>> I THINK IT'S PREMATURE TO
HAVE A DECISION OF THAT NATURE.
IF IT TURNS OUT IT IS HARDER AND
LONGER TO FIX THE TECHNICAL
ISSUES THAT HAVE PLAGUED THE
FEDERAL EXCHANGE THAN NOW IS
CLEAR, IT WOULD BE COMPARABLE IN
THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO HAVING A
VERY MAJOR BOTCHED ROLLUP OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT ACTIVITY AND
ENTITY UNDERTAKING.
IF NOT RESIGNING, SOME SERIOUS