2013
For more than a year now I have been critical of the outrageous spin coming from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding claims of success for Obamacare before anything has actually been accomplished. The press releases and statements from Secretary Sebelius are laughable to anyone with a modest amount of factual information. Here is an example. Search “Sebelius” on this blog and you will see more articles regarding her claims.
All the hype leading to the enrollment process which is turning out to be less than a stellar experience sounds even more ludicrous now.
The complexity of the system alone presents a monumental challenge, but add to that the decision making delays and politically motivated timing for regulations and other information and you create an impossible situation that we now see clearly. It is the administrative side of all this for which Secretary Sebelius should be held accountable. If I were Obama seeking to create a positive experience for Americans to bolster support for my major “accomplishment,” I would be pissed, heads would roll. Let’s see what kind of executive we have in charge.
Clearly the most ardent critics of Obamacare are going to make the most of the problems, sometimes inaccurately and unfairly. However, the Administration brought much of this on itself. Knowing the potential glitches, which surely some experts knew, the roll out date should have been delayed or at least started with a few states at a time to gain experience. From day one the system should have permitted simple shopping for people to gain information about plans and prices without creating accounts. In fact, this section of the site could have been made available weeks before the full site went live thereby avoiding the crush for information.
In other words beyond the complexity of the undertaking from a systems point of view, we have a lack of simple decision making, we have policies by politics, we have a lack of management for which there needs to be accountability. Since the enactment of Obamacare no single individual has played more politics with the facts and circumstances and apparently with decision making than has the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Related articles
- Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Should Resign Over Obamacare Website Glitches (usnews.com)
- Sebelius spotlighted over Obamacare sign-up glitches (upi.com)
- Is Sebelius about to get the ax? (kansascity.com)
- Sebelius won’t testify at Obamacare hearing (marketwatch.com)
- Is It Time to Fire HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius? (1800politics.com)
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
“… In other words beyond the complexity of the undertaking from a systems point of view, we have a lack of simple decision making, we have policies by politics, we have a lack of management for which there needs to be accountability. Since the enactment of Obamacare no single individual has played more politics with the facts and circumstances and apparently with decision making than has the Secretary of Health and Human Services….”
This is a surprise to anyone? Isn’t this how policies created and managed by beltway politics always work – what examples do you have where government entitlements are not subject to political considerations?
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Government entitlement design always, but not so much the implementation after the politicians are done messing things up with the policy. I may be getting old, but I don’t recall this kind of thing with ERISA or many of the other laws we had to deal with. I don’t recall this flap over implementation of Part D or even the Medicare Advantage plans. Perhaps it’s just a matter of short memories.
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