October 23, 2013, 5:56 am
(NECN/NBC News: Tracie Potts) - There a new "health website czar" in Washington. He’s been brought in to deal with healthcare.gov, the government's health insurance website that keeps crashing.
There is still no word on how long that might take, and there's new criticism that technical glitches aren't the only problem.
It's working for some.
Holly Hill of Sarasota, Fla. said, "I was really very, very happy."
But it’s not working for most.
Payal Shah of Metropolitan FamilyHealth Network said, “It seemed promising we clicked submit, but it reverted back to the beginning."
Now President Obama is counting on trusted adviser Jeff Zients to fix the website.
He was the nation's first chief performance officer. His job is to make sure government runs smoothly.
He’ll oversee tech experts from Silicon Valley brought in to troubleshoot.
Senator John McCain said, "The President said he's going to get some smart people to come and fix it, but we've already spent over $600 million on this system."
Did the administration rush to make its Oct. 1 deadline? The Washington Post claims warning signs like a failed test were ignored.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "You ought not celebrate the fact that Americans are struggling with a website that will provide them information about obtaining that insurance."
Now five Republicans claim in a letter the administration's covering up prices, too.
Rep. Virginia Foxx said, "Will he charge American people for not buying healthcare from a website that doesn't work?"
Thursday, several top contractors testify about the site's problems.
If the site's not fixed soon, it could become a paperwork nightmare. The first application deadline is Dec. 15.
