Sebelius: Obamacare Website Problems Blindsided The President

• published: 23 Oct 2013
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Sebelius: Obamacare Website Problems Blindsided The President Sebelius: Obamacare Website Problems Blindsided The President Sebelius: Obamacare Website Problems Blindsided The President Before it even launched, red flags went up about the Obamacare website. Health insurance companies complained about it, and the site crashed during a test run. But nobody told the President of any of it, the nation's health chief told CNN. Kathleen Sebelius said President Barack Obama didn't hear that there may be problems with the signup portal for his signature healthcare law until it went live on October 1. That's when the site nosedived into a technical abyss. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the Health and Human Services secretary admitted that her department and the White House are displeased with the technically botched rollout. "No one could be more frustrated than I am and the president," she said. The site was supposed to make it simple for people to search and sign-up for new health care policies, but instead it's been clunky and, at times, inoperable. And for Sebelius, disappointing. "We're not at all satisfied with the workings of the website," Sebelius said. "We want it to be smooth and easy and let consumers compare plans." A team of high-tech experts from within the government and from Silicon Valley is going to tackle the issues, Sebelius said. Jeff Zients, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, will lead the team. So why weren't they brought in before the website launched October 1? "We (had) hoped that they had their 'A-Team' on the table" from the start, Sebelius said of the contractors and agencies responsible for the project. But now, she said, "we want new eyes and ears. We want to make sure that we get all the questions on the table, that we get all the answers and accelerate the fix as quickly as possible." The secretary attributed some problems to "extremely high" volume, claiming nearly 20 million people came to the Obamacare website in the first three weeks after its launched. Yet only 500,000 people have created accounts on the website. And not all of them have necessarily enrolled in healthcare plans.