Kurt DelBene, who was once an executive at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has agreed to take over repairs for Healthcare.gov, also known as the Obamacare website. Jeffrey Zients had been heading up the efforts, but The New York Times reports that officials from the Obama administration made the announcement about DelBene taking over the reins today.
Executives from Microsoft, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and other executives were scheduled to meet with President Obama today regarding Healthcare.gov and the National Security Agency’s spying programs. It is unclear whether the hiring of DelBene is related to this meeting or not, and as of this writing, there haven’t been any updates on that meeting.
DelBene starts right away
DelBene headed up Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Office division for almost three years. Then after CEO Steve Ballmer announced the One Microsoft reorganization plan, DelBene left. At the time, representatives from Microsoft said he choice to retire and wasn’t being forced out by the company.
He already has connections in Washington. His wife Suzan DelBene is also a former Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) executive. She was elected to Congress last year and is a Democratic representative for the district in Washington State where Microsoft’s headquarters is located.
Obamacare fix is no easy job
Of course DelBene certainly has his work cut out for him. The Obamacare website has been plagued by problems since it launched on Oct. 1. Consumers have until next week Monday to sign up for an insurance plan that will start covering them on Jan. 1. Unfortunately, however, many still have trouble logging into the website and filling out their applications. Glitches continue to cause problems, both for consumers attempting to apply and enroll in a plan and also for insurance companies, which are now dealing with information glitches.
Many have said that the information about those who enrolled in their plans through the Healthcare.gov site is coming through riddled with gibberish, making it difficult or impossible for them to see who is signing up, bill consumers for their insurance plans or even accept payments from those who were successful in signing up. Unfortunately, consumers who can’t pay for their new insurance plans by the deadline (which varies by insurance company and state), won’t be able to have coverage starting on Jan. 1.
This month it was revealed that the Obamacare website is also making errors in determining which consumers are eligible for Medicaid, making it even more difficult for them to get the subsidized insurance they should actually be entitled to.
