Oregon health exchange loses second boss: Report
Oregon's botched Obamacare insurance exchange has lost its second director, as the state's governor released a damning consultant's report on the Cover Oregon marketplace, The Oregonian newspaper reported on its website Thursday.
Gov. John Kitzhaber said he is "angry and disappointed" in the exchange's problems. He cited a "fundamental breakdown" by the management in creating the exchange, and the lack of a "single point of authority or accountability," as was supposed to be built into the exchange, the newspaper reported.
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Kitzhaber also said the exchange's current acting chief, Bruce Goldberg, has resigned from that post and as head of the Oregon Health Authority, a move he called "the right decision."
Goldberg, who will continue running the exchange until a replacement is appointed, only recently replaced former Cover Oregon director Rocky King, who quit for medical reasons amid continued criticism of his oversight of the exchange.
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Cover Oregon does not have the ability to enroll anyone in Obamacare insurance plans online, despite the site's scheduled launch Oct. 1. The exchange nonetheless has been able to sign up about 280,000 people in private health plans and the state's Medicaid program.
The consultant's report identified a number of problems at Cover Oregon when it was being built, including, "competing priorities and conflict between agencies;" "Lack of universally accepted foundational project management processes and documents;" and "ineffective" and "at time contentious" communications between agencies.
"The lack of a single point of authority slowed the decision making process and contributed to inconsistent communication and collaboration across agencies was limited at best. In addition, communication with oversight authorities was inconsistent and at times confusing or misinterpreted," the report said.
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But Kitzhaber also said the report showed how similar problems could be prevented in the future, The Oregonian reported.
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—By CNBC's Dan Mangan. Follow him on Twitter @_DanMangan