Healthcare.gov CEO on hot seat for withholding enrollment data

By "stonewalling" Congress, Kevin Counihan hurting debate about ACA success
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Kevin Counihan, CEO of Healthcare.gov, was on the hot seat in front of a Congressional committee hearing Thursday.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) claimed that Counihan neglected to share pertinent enrollment data with Congress after having received some 23 emails, seven phone calls and two text messages regarding the matter, according to the testimony

In late December, Counihan had said he would provide the White House and insurance companies with enrollment information. Now, members of a GOP subcommittee on enrollment data claim that "either [Counihan or the agency] intentionally gave misleading information to insurance companies across the country on Dec. 18 or [he] lied and said [he] didn't have it," Meadows said at the hearing.

Additionally, Counihan was not able to directly answer questions pertaining to tax data and whether illegal immigrants were provided coverage. Because Counihan failed to answer the questions thrown at him, Rep. Don Cartwright (D-Penn.) mentioned that Counihan was actually hindering the recent debate surround the Affordable Care Act.

"I would suggest the committee strongly look at subpoenaing all the data, all the correspondence, because it is obvious that this gentleman is stonewalling this committee," Meadows said later in the hearing, during a second round of questioning.

Cartwright added that, given the agency's enrollment data snafu in November, when the Department of Health and Human Services mistakenly reported 400,000 dental-plan enrollees as full health-plan enrollees, the administration needs ample time to thoroughly assess enrollment figures. "I encourage you. Be really careful," Cartwright said to Counihan.

Counihan served as the head of Connecticut's exchange before being appointed as Healthcare.gov's CEO last August.

For more:
- here's the testimony (video)

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