David Jackson, USA TODAY 11:08 a.m. EDT October 21, 2013
President Obama(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
President Obama is expected to denounce problems with the new health care website on Monday, but argue that the overall law will benefit Americans in the long run.
In a Rose Garden speech, Obama will say that his health care team will reach out to tech experts to fix massive website problems that have hampered the rollout of his landmark piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act.
In a blog post, the Department of Health and Human Services said some users of HealthCare.gov "have had trouble creating accounts and logging in to the site, while others have received confusing error messages, or had to wait for slow page loads or forms that failed to respond in a timely fashion."
As a result, HHS said it is "bringing in some of the best and brightest from both inside and outside government to scrub in with the team and help improve HealthCare.gov."
The administration did not provide specific names of experts.
For his speech in the Rose Garden, the president is to be joined by consumers, small business owners and pharmacists who, the White House said, "have either benefited from the health care law already or are helping consumers learn about what the law means for them and how they can get covered."
Obama's guests will also feature "individuals who have already applied for and enrolled in quality, affordable coverage through the marketplaces and those who are planning to after exploring and comparing their new health care options," the White House said.
Congressional Republicans who opposed the 2010 health care law said the initial problems call the entire program into question.
Citing reports that few people have signed up for health care exchanges, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that "another campaign-style event won't solve the myriad problems facing consumers under Obamacare."
McConnell said that "for months, the American people have been learning about the impact Obamacare will have on individuals and families in the form of higher premiums, disrupted insurance and lost jobs -- more broken promises from the administration."
President Obama(Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
- President Obama will critique aspects of the health care rollout
- Problems have plagued healthcare.gov, hampering enrollment efforts
- Tech experts are being tapped to help solve the website issues
President Obama is expected to denounce problems with the new health care website on Monday, but argue that the overall law will benefit Americans in the long run.
In a Rose Garden speech, Obama will say that his health care team will reach out to tech experts to fix massive website problems that have hampered the rollout of his landmark piece of legislation, the Affordable Care Act.
In a blog post, the Department of Health and Human Services said some users of HealthCare.gov "have had trouble creating accounts and logging in to the site, while others have received confusing error messages, or had to wait for slow page loads or forms that failed to respond in a timely fashion."
As a result, HHS said it is "bringing in some of the best and brightest from both inside and outside government to scrub in with the team and help improve HealthCare.gov."
The administration did not provide specific names of experts.
For his speech in the Rose Garden, the president is to be joined by consumers, small business owners and pharmacists who, the White House said, "have either benefited from the health care law already or are helping consumers learn about what the law means for them and how they can get covered."
Obama's guests will also feature "individuals who have already applied for and enrolled in quality, affordable coverage through the marketplaces and those who are planning to after exploring and comparing their new health care options," the White House said.
Congressional Republicans who opposed the 2010 health care law said the initial problems call the entire program into question.
Citing reports that few people have signed up for health care exchanges, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that "another campaign-style event won't solve the myriad problems facing consumers under Obamacare."
McConnell said that "for months, the American people have been learning about the impact Obamacare will have on individuals and families in the form of higher premiums, disrupted insurance and lost jobs -- more broken promises from the administration."