Prepared Testimony for the Oversight and Government Reform Committee 11/13/2013 by Todd Park Lyrics
Good morning. Chairman Issa, Ranking Member Cummings, and Members of the Committee: thank you for inviting me to testify today on the Administration’s ongoing efforts to deliver on the promise of the Affordable Care Act.
As U.S. Chief Technology Officer, housed at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, I serve as an advisor at the White House on a broad range of technology policy and strategy priorities – ranging from how technological innovation can help grow the economy to how to open up government data to spur innovation and entrepreneurship to how the power of technology can be harnessed to improve health care, aid disaster relief, fight human trafficking, and more. In this work, I try to bring the sensibilities of the private-sector tech entrepreneur that I’ve been for most of my professional life.
Unfortunately, the experience on HealthCare.gov has been highly frustrating for many Americans. These problems are unacceptable. We know there is real interest from the American public in having easy access to the new, affordable choices in the Health Insurance Marketplace. I believe that as public servants, we have a shared goal— to deliver to Americans the service they deserve and expect. And since the beginning of October, I have shifted into working full-time on the team that is working around the clock to fix HealthCare.gov and bring it to the place it should be.
The team is making progress. The website is getting better each week, as we work to improve its performance, its stability, and its functionality.
I will be happy to try to answer any questions you may have about HealthCare.gov and the progress the team is making. Thank you very much.
As you know, October 1st was the launch of the new Healthcare.gov and the Health Insurance Marketplace—where people without health insurance, including those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who are not part of a group plan, can go to get affordable coverage.
As a result, more and more individuals are successfully creating accounts, logging in, and moving on to apply for coverage and shop for plans. We have much work still to do, but are making progress at a growing rate.
As U.S. Chief Technology Officer, housed at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, I serve as an advisor at the White House on a broad range of technology policy and strategy priorities – ranging from how technological innovation can help grow the economy to how to open up government data to spur innovation and entrepreneurship to how the power of technology can be harnessed to improve health care, aid disaster relief, fight human trafficking, and more. In this work, I try to bring the sensibilities of the private-sector tech entrepreneur that I’ve been for most of my professional life.
Unfortunately, the experience on HealthCare.gov has been highly frustrating for many Americans. These problems are unacceptable. We know there is real interest from the American public in having easy access to the new, affordable choices in the Health Insurance Marketplace. I believe that as public servants, we have a shared goal— to deliver to Americans the service they deserve and expect. And since the beginning of October, I have shifted into working full-time on the team that is working around the clock to fix HealthCare.gov and bring it to the place it should be.
The team is making progress. The website is getting better each week, as we work to improve its performance, its stability, and its functionality.
I will be happy to try to answer any questions you may have about HealthCare.gov and the progress the team is making. Thank you very much.
As you know, October 1st was the launch of the new Healthcare.gov and the Health Insurance Marketplace—where people without health insurance, including those who cannot afford health insurance, and those who are not part of a group plan, can go to get affordable coverage.
As a result, more and more individuals are successfully creating accounts, logging in, and moving on to apply for coverage and shop for plans. We have much work still to do, but are making progress at a growing rate.