Major health insurance executives testified before Congress that HealthCare.gov is still not completely fixed.
“Is the website fixed?” Republican Texas Rep. Pete Olson asked six insurance executives at a Wednesday House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Obamacare’s impact on the insurance industry.
“I think if the back end issues are considered part of the website, there are still issues outstanding,” said Mark Pratt, senior vice president for state affairs at America’s Health Insurance Plans, a national association representing health insurance plans.
Five other executives confirmed that the website is not fixed, stating, respectively, “There are still issues on the back end,” “There is still work to be done,” “There’s still work to do before that’s 100 percent,” “I think there could still be some improvement,” and “We still have opportunities for improvement.”
“Six for six, all not fixed,” Olson said.
President Obama said on the Internet comedy show “Between Two Ferns” that “Healthcare.gov works great now,” and the Obama team that supposedly saved the website, led by Obama adviser Jeffrey Zients, was featured in a glowing Time magazine cover story.
Health insurance executives also said that they do not expect health premiums to be lowered in the near future, contrary to President Obama’s repeated promises as a presidential candidate in 2008 to lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year. No executives raised their hands when asked if their company anticipates a $2,500, $2,000, or even $1,500 lowering in premiums.