Final Bill For Troubled Massachusetts Exchange Site Could Hit $300M
The cost of setting up the Massachusetts health insurance website rose another $47.2 million, bringing the total spent to $281 million with more expenses still expected. Meanwhile, Colorado will post on its insurance site Monday the 2016 rates proposed by providers. And a judge tossed a lawsuit filed by Oracle against five former Oregon governor staffers in a case involving Cover Oregon technology problems.
WBUR:
Mass. Health Connector Website Costs Rise To $281 Million
The cost of setting up the Massachusetts health insurance website under the rules of Obamacare is rising again, this time by $47.2 million. Additional fixes bring the total price tag for the Connector site that failed two years ago and the new flawed replacement to $281 million. And this isn’t the final bill. (Bebinger, 6/12)
The Denver Post:
Colorado Insurance Division To Post Health Plans, Rates Online
The 2016 health insurance rates filed by carriers under the Affordable Care Act will be available for public viewing Monday on the Colorado Division of Insurance website. Carriers filed their rates and plans with the division May 29. Officials are reviewing them to ensure plans meet ACA requirements and proposed rates are neither excessive or inadequate. (Draper, 6/12)
The Oregonian:
Judge Tosses Oracle Lawsuit Against Kitzhaber Advisors, Citing Free Speech
A judge on Friday dismissed as frivolous a case filed by Oracle America against five staffers and advisers to former Gov. John Kitzhaber over the Cover Oregon technology debacle. (Budnick, 6/12)
Personal information on anyone who has ever registered at healthcare.gov is stored in a government database. That vast data pool raises privacy concerns in an age of computer hacks -
The Associated Press:
Vast Data Warehouse Raises Health Overhaul Privacy Concerns
A government data warehouse stores personal information forever on millions of people who seek coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law, including those who open an account on HealthCare.gov but don't sign up for coverage. At a time when major breaches have become distressingly common, the vast scope of the information — and the lack of a clear plan for destroying old records — have raised concerns about privacy and the government's judgment on technology. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/15)
And a New York Times documentary tells the story of a Kentucky man trying to navigate the new path to health insurance -
The New York Times:
A Hard Road To Health Insurance (Video)
The Affordable Care Act was designed to help people like David Elson. He had a box full of unpaid medical bills, a result of uncontrolled diabetes and all the health complications that came with it. He badly needed health insurance, but as a self-employed alarm installer, he could not afford it — especially since insurers could charge chronically ill people much more before the new law took effect. (Cott, Woo and Goodnough, 6/14)
