House HIX Testimony Falls on Deaf Ears

Despite reports of progress on health insurance exchanges, some members of Congress continue to express concern that the exchanges may not be ready by the Oct. 1 deadline.

If you cling to the hope that Congressional hearings are honest, forthright efforts by our elected representatives to fact-find about complex topics, then a subcommittee hearing held Tuesday must have been an eye opener.

The House Energy & Commerce Committee's subcommittee on health met ostensibly to gather information about the progress that is being made as we countdown to the Oct. 1 rollout of health insurance exchanges.

There have been several government reports released in recent months that have raised concerns about whether the exchanges will be ready to process millions of health insurance applications. Earlier this summer the Government Accountability Office released two reports that raised concerns about HIX meeting the Oct. 1 deadline. While "much progress has been made… much remains to be accomplished within a relatively short amount of time," the reports warned.

So, it seems entirely within the domain of the health subcommittee to take a look at where things stand for this critical piece of the healthcare reform law.

The opening statements by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), chair of the subcommittee, and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) set a somewhat hopeful stage. Both voiced legitimate concerns that the exchanges would be ready on Oct. 1. Rep. Gingrey noted the complexities involved in testing the system."How can taxpayers feel secure with [having] their personal information in the exchange when there has not been adequate security checks to determine the effectiveness?" he asked.

The seven-witness panel was almost perfect. It included the four technology contractors charged with getting HIX up and running. If the committee members really wanted to assess the progress and potential problems of HIX then these witnesses, who work each and every day on the front lines of HIX development, were the ones to call.

Representatives from CGI Federal Inc., Equifax Work Solutions, Serco Inc., and Quality Software Services Inc.–firms with decades of experience in government contracting between them—spoke about the systems in place and the testing underway. All of them assured the subcommittee that they were on schedule with their part of the massive HIX project.

Three other witnesses also delivered statements: Antoinette Kraus, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network; Brett Graham, a partner and managing director for Leavitt Partners; and Edward Lenz, senior counsel for the American Staffing Association.

Kraus talked about how her statewide coalition of 60 organizations representing one million clients is helping to implementing the PPACA. Graham outlined the challenges faced by states, and Lenz addressed how the Obama administration has responded to employer concerns.

Typically each hearing includes five minutes of "testimony" from each witness during which time the committee members—at least the ones who show up—listen politely. The rubber really hits the road when the committee members begin their witness questioning.

Actually, the questioning from both Republican and Democrats is more like posturing. But in this case the Republican committee members were particularly egregious in their efforts to continue to paint Obamacare as a train wreck.

The four contractors and their reports of success were quickly forgotten as Republicans honed in on Graham and Lenz, who testimonies included some negative statements.

Graham, for instance, stated that while "baseline functionalities will be up and running" the exchanges can expect "a rocky enrollment period as they work to overcome both known and unknown operational challenges."

That's not a huge surprise. Anyone who has survived even a small technology upgrade can attest that glitches and bumps in the road are par for the course.

Lenz stated that his group is working with the administration to iron out the definition of full-time. The PPACA standard of 30 hours is below what most employers consider full-time and is creating "a perverse economic incentive to reduce employee hours." Lenz noted that the administration is willing to work with his group on this issue.

I watched all two hours of the subcommittee hearing and came away with a good feeling about HIX. The vendors gave a thumbs up and even the concerns of Graham and Lenz seemed manageable.

So imagine my surprise when a press release from the E&C Committee arrived in my e-mail Tuesday with this headline: As Health Law's Open Enrollment Approaches, Missed Deadlines, Delays, and Data Security Concerns Cause Headaches for All Involved.

The press release includes this statement from Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), the E&C Committee chair: "We are now three weeks from the exchanges opening for enrollment, and questions and uncertainties continue to overwhelm. "Issues related to readiness testing and functionality of the exchanges have yet to be addressed. Missed deadlines, delays and untimely guidance will affect critical components of the exchanges, including eligibility determinations, integration with existing state programs, and coordination among agencies." The release includes statements from only two witnesses—Graham and Lenz.

Is it too much to expect an honest assessment of the entire meeting? Good news was delivered, but once again the partisan focus is to make healthcare reform seem like a losing proposition.

Elsewhere in Washington on Tuesday, federal officials announced that the data hub has been security tested and will be operational by September 30. The data hub is a networked system for verifying consumers' Social Security numbers, immigration status and other information when they log on to health insurance exchanges had been delayed, and beset by security concerns.

Let's see what transpires at Thursday's House homeland security subcommittee hearing on the security and reliability of the health exchange data hub.