BROWN TELLS LAWMAKERS THAT REPORTS GAVE NO WARNING OF BOTCHED HEALTH CARE ROLLOUT

ANNAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown told members of the General Assembly on Tuesday that the numerous updates and reports he received as overseer of Maryland’s health care reform failed to alert him to the major glitches that would mark the Oct. 1 launch of the state’s health care exchange website.

Brown, who had touted the state’s early progress in health care legislation following the passage of the Affordable Care Act, testified before both the House Health and Government Operations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee in support of emergency health care legislation that would retroactively benefit residents who were kept from signing up for coverage due to site malfunctions.

“On Oct. 1 and the weeks following the launch, I was deeply disappointed and frustrated [that] the exchange was significantly underperforming … for thousands of Maryland families who need coverage, who expected coverage and relied on us to deliver through the exchange,” Brown told delegates.
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