The Reason Oregon's Massive Failure Isn't Widely Known: Government Suppression

[scott]

Oregon exchange is stifling partners with ‘politically-motivated gag order’

The state most likely to be named the country’s worst Obamacare exchange is reportedly banning its partners from saying almost anything negative about it in a broad confidentiality agreement.

Radio host Lars Larson and his show’s legal expert Bruce McCain report that in order to contract with Cover Oregon, so-called “community partners” are forced to sign a far-reaching non-disparagement agreement that could put the organizations at risk of losing all their grant money if Oregon state officials decide they disagree with any unfavorable statements about the Obamacare exchange.

The agreement is comparable to the IRS targeting conservative groups, McCain argued, amounting to “the weight and full effect of the government using its power of the purse to coerce private entities. … It’s a chilling effect on speech.”



Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/16/or...#ixzz2nl7ON1fq

Related, over $300 Million was spent on this one non-working website. Amazing!

[Norm dePlume]

Related, over $300 Million was spent on this one non-working website. Amazing!

I don't know where you got that number, but I'm guessing it includes a lot of non-website expenses. Last I heard, Oracle had been paid $90 million and the state was withholding payment on another $18-20 million.

[scott]

I don't know where you got that number, but I'm guessing it includes a lot of non-website expenses. Last I heard, Oracle had been paid $90 million and the state was withholding payment on another $18-20 million.

If you had read the article you'd know where I got it.

So let's assume your number is correct. $90 Million so far for ONE state exchange? One that doesn't even function? That's a massive waste.

[scott]

Why does a public health project require such secrecy?

[Billy Jingo]

Here's what I could find on Kentucky's exchange costs. I believe it considered the model of a state exchange that works.

Marketplace Funding

In September 2010, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of Health Policy received a federal Exchange Planning grant of $1 million and in August, the same agency was awarded a federal Level One Establishment grant for almost $7.7 million to fund IT systems. In February 2012, the agency was awarded a $57.8 million grant to continue planning and building the requisite IT systems which will provide integrated eligibility and enrollment with the Medicaid program. In September 2012, Kentucky received a third Level One grant of $4.4 million to support the development of a Navigator program and assess access to health care services. The state was awarded a Level Two Establishment Grant for $182.7 million in January 2013 to develop a consumer and stakeholder support network and to complete an interoperable IT system that will integrate Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange with all of Kentucky’s existing health and human services programs.18

The Link

[scott]

Here's what I could find on Kentucky's exchange costs. I believe it considered the model of a state exchange that works.

Marketplace Funding

In September 2010, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of Health Policy received a federal Exchange Planning grant of $1 million and in August, the same agency was awarded a federal Level One Establishment grant for almost $7.7 million to fund IT systems. In February 2012, the agency was awarded a $57.8 million grant to continue planning and building the requisite IT systems which will provide integrated eligibility and enrollment with the Medicaid program. In September 2012, Kentucky received a third Level One grant of $4.4 million to support the development of a Navigator program and assess access to health care services. The state was awarded a Level Two Establishment Grant for $182.7 million in January 2013 to develop a consumer and stakeholder support network and to complete an interoperable IT system that will integrate Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange with all of Kentucky’s existing health and human services programs.18

The Link

That is obscene. Only in government is 1990s technology more expensive today than back then.

[Adam]

Here's what I could find on Kentucky's exchange costs. I believe it considered the model of a state exchange that works.

And that's actually tragically funny. Kentucky is trumpeted as some sort of "success." As of November 20, a little less than 19,000 people had gone through hindenburg-ky.gov to find out that they're going to be eligible for a subsidy. Of those, barely 8,000 have "chosen a plan," meaning that at a ratio of not quite one and a half to one, people have seen how outrageously expensive Obamafail is and they're just walking away in disgust. And these are the late November numbers. Remember, something like 14,000 had "signed up" (meaning gotten as far as registering and finding out if they qualified for a subsidy) at the end of October. So the pace of sign-ups is, like everywhere else in the country, slowing at a very rapid rate, not accelerating like the Obama administration claimed would happen.

And just to add icing on this "success" cake for Kentucky, the governor himself said that the commonwealth had found some 400,000 people in the state who were allegedly un-insured and couldn't afford it and qualified for a subsidy. Where are they? Is "success" now measured by how wildly off the mark one is on the numbers? We're a week away from the deadline for sign-ups ... OOPS! It got moved again ... and pretty much NO ONE has materialized out of these alleged vast throngs of uninsured poor and middle-class people who were supposedly clamoring for Obamacare. FIVE PERCENT is now a "success" in Kentucky.

Whoopie!

[Frostbit]

398 have "signed up" in Alaska as of this week.

[Norm dePlume]

If you had read the article you'd know where I got it.

So let's assume your number is correct. $90 Million so far for ONE state exchange? One that doesn't even function? That's a massive waste.

Okay, now I don't know where the Daily Caller got it. They might have got it from Lars. I didn't listen to the Lars recording they linked to, but Lars has never been one to let a little thing like accuracy get in his way.

The source of the 300 million number is likely the amount of federal grants awarded to the state of Oregon. But those grants are to fund the entire program through 2015. Staffing, advertising, everything. It hasn't all been spent on the website.

Overall, Oregon of all states ranks third in federal grant awards, intended to fund operations through 2015: more than 300 million.

Cover Oregon is funded by $300 million in federal grants through the end of next year (of which it has spent $141 million). All revenues generated in 2014 are to establish a six-month operating reserve, so that Cover Oregon can be self-sustaining starting Jan. 1.

In total, Oregon received more than $300 million from the Obama administration to build the Cover Oregon infrastructure.

...

Oracle is the key information technology contractor behind the state insurance exchange effort. The company has collected $45.9 million from the Oregon Health Authority, which oversaw the system development until this summer, and $43.2 million from Cover Oregon.

It still has $28.5 million on the table in its contract with Cover Oregon. Contractually, Cover Oregon is holding 5 percent of the agreed payment until it is satisfied with Oracle’s work.

[scott]

Okay, now I don't know where the Daily Caller got it. They might have got it from Lars. I didn't listen to the Lars recording they linked to, but Lars has never been one to let a little thing like accuracy get in his way.

The source of the 300 million number is likely the amount of federal grants awarded to the state of Oregon. But those grants are to fund the entire program through 2015. Staffing, advertising, everything. It hasn't all been spent on the website.

Noted.

So assuming your $90 Million is correct....

[scott]

Oh look! Fraud by government officials. Good job, Oregon.

OREGON—The story behind the massive failure of the Oregon health exchange website continues to unravel as allegations of fraud and gross mismanagement mount.

Local news agencies have obtained emails and other reports suggesting state officials lied about the progress of the website, possibly even creating dummy sites to present to federal officials.

“It’s a scandal much worse than New Jersey,” said state GOP representative Dennis Richardson, who is running for governor against incumbent Democrat Gov. John Kitzhaber.

The issue is starting to bubble up to Capitol Hill. Richardson is calling for an audit of the program by the federal Government Accountability Office. That push would likely come from Rep. Greg Walden (R., Ore.), the only Republican in the Oregon delegation.

http://freebeacon.com/cover-oregon-scandal-deepens/

[Billy Jingo]

Not much traction on the story yet. All I get other than the original KATU story is rightwing propaganda sites like the one you linked.

[scott]

Not much traction on the story yet. All I get other than the original KATU story is rightwing propaganda sites like the one you linked.

Goebbels would be so proud of you.

BTW, is it propaganda if it goes against the government approved narrative?

[phillygirl]

Huffington Post has covered it a bit

[Norm dePlume]

Goebbels would be so proud of you.

BTW, is it propaganda if it goes against the government approved narrative?

Godwin would not be proud of you.