HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the Senate Finance Committee this morning on the troubled rollout of HealthCare.gov.
Not surprisingly, Sebelius was pressed on the President’s promise that “if you like your health plan, you can keep it,” a promise that’s been repeated in various forms numerous times, including on the White House website.
Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas addressed the issue with Secretary Sebelius. “We know that lying to Congress is a crime, but unfortunately lying to the American people is not,” Cornyn said. “I’d just like to ask you a simple true or false question. Is that statement on the White House website true? Or is it false?”
Watch Sebelius’ response below.
And in another exchange, Cornyn addressed with Sebelius the issue of background checks for Obamacare navigators. Navigators can assist individuals in exploring coverage options on the Marketplace, “including completing eligibility and enrollment forms.”
“Isn’t it true that there is no federal requirement for navigators to undergo a criminal background check, even though they will receive sensitive personal information from the individuals they help sign up for the Affordable Care Act?”
Sebelius calmly responded, “That is true. States could add an additional, um, background checks and other features, but it is not part of the federal requirement.”
“So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them,” Cornyn pressed.
Sebelius responded, “That is possible. We have contracts with the organizations and they have taken the responsibility to screen their [inaudible] navigators and make sure that they are sufficiently trained for the job.”
Watch the full exchange below.
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