Many states that have attempted to create their own health care exchanges under Obamacare have failed. But few have done so as spectacularly as Oregon.
Its "Cover Oregon" failure serves as a warning shot to others. After experiencing extreme website and administrative difficulties, coupled with charges of political cronyism and the resignation of her predecessor, Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) decided to default to the federal exchange earlier this year, resulting in $300 million of federal tax dollars wasted. Hawaii also recently announced it will abandon its Obamacare state-run exchange after spending roughly $200 million in federal tax dollars. Likewise, other state exchanges have been rife with overspending, mismanagement, waste and corruption. Against the backdrop of mounting state failures coupled with the possible prohibition on subsidies in the federal exchange as a result of the United States Supreme Court’s pending decision in King v. Burwell, it is clear that Obamacare remains an unmitigated disaster.
In April, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sought records in order to look into Cover Oregon’s implosion. Today, NTU urges the Committee to begin formal hearings into the matter. With the federal government swimming in a sea of red ink, taxpayers deserve answers into what really happened in Oregon.
