NFIB Maryland: Legislature should Investigate Website Debacle and Lt. Gov. Brown should be held Accountable

Date: April 02, 2014

Annapolis
(April 2, 2014)
– The
Legislature should get to the bottom of how Maryland blew $125 million on a
health care exchange that still doesn’t work and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown,
who oversaw the debacle, should be forced by subpoena if necessary to explain
what went wrong, said the National
Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
today.

“Small
business owners are among thousands of people in Maryland who have been failed
by a system that they never supported but which they are forced to use and
forced to finance,” said NFIB Maryland
State Director Jessica Cooper
.  “Any
private business that failed its customers in this way would come immediately
under investigation and our members want a full accounting of what went wrong
and what they’re doing to fix it.”

The
dysfunctional website has already cost $125 million despite that the deadline
for complying with the federal Affordable Care Act passed yesterday.  The board that oversees the exchange voted
yesterday to scrap their technology and spend another $50 million on the system
that Connecticut used.

“Before
they’re allowed to spend another nickel the Legislature should hold hearings
and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown should be the star witness,” said Cooper.

Brown was
appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to lead the project.  Congressman Andy Harris has already called on
the federal Department of Health and Human Services to investigate.  That’s necessary, said Cooper, but the
Maryland Legislature must also exercise its oversight powers.

“Congress
doesn’t hesitate to call before committees the Chief Executive Officers of
private companies that they suspect of violating the public trust,” said
Cooper.  “There’s more than enough reason
for suspicion here and our state elected representatives have an obligation to
every taxpayer and every private business to find out what happened and ensure
that it won’t be repeated.”

For more
information about NFIB, please log on to www.nfib.com.

 

 

Related Content: Small Business News | Maryland

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