President Obama and aides continue to play defense when it comes to health care.
House Republicans harped Tuesday on a management study indicating that Obama administration officials were warned as early as March about potential problems with the malfunctioning health care website.
Meanwhile, a woman spotlighted in an Oct. 21 health care speech at the White House said she has had to drop her new insurance policy because the costs shot up suddenly after her enrollment.
Republicans cited the study by the firm of McKinsey & Co. during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stressing that at least some officials were warned about website problems months before the October launch date.
"We're concerned at multiple levels," said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa. "It is absolutely clear that the start-up of the website was not going to work well if at all by Oct. 1."
Henry Chao, chief information officer at the Office of Information Services, said during the congressional hearing that he had not seen the McKinsey report, nor did he choose the date the site would launch.
Officials with the White House and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said red flags were raised during development of the website, but contractors said it would be ready by the start of October.
"Nobody anticipated the size and scope of the problems we experienced once the site launched," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. "Since that time, experts have been working night and day to get it functioning -- and that is where our focus is, and should be, right now."
CMS spokeswoman Patti Unruh said of the McKinsey study: "The review was completed six months before the beginning of open enrollment, was in line with industry best practices, and was followed by concrete action to address potential risks -- as was intended."
Unruh said that "CMS has continually evaluated progress and has taken steps to prioritize and address concerns, and mitigate risks."
The officials also pointed out that health care enrollment is surging in several states, including California, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Washington.
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a public letter than the GOP is selectively leaking documents "without appropriate context, without the benefit of witness testimony to provide additional information, and in this latest case, without providing Democratic members timely access."
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the committee's top Democrats, said things seem to be getting better with the website: "We're not where we need to be, but we're seeing improvements. Rather than just attack the health care law and try to undermine, we ought to try to make it work."
Canceled policies and rising costs are also issues in the health care debate.
Jessica Sanford, a single mother from Washington state whose enrollment in the health care plan was highlighted by Obama on Oct. 21, told CNN that her initial cost of $169 per month rose to as much as $390 per month because the government miscalculated her benefits.
"I had a good cry," Sanford told CNN. "This is it. I'm not getting insurance. That's where it stands right now unless they fix it."
A year ahead of the 2014 congressional elections, Republicans are attacking Democrats and the Obama administration over the new health care law, and demanding changes or outright repeal.
"The president is in a downward credibility spiral because the health care law people are now seeing looks nothing like the one he sold them four years ago," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Criticism of the health care law appears to be taking a toll on the president's political standing.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll on Tuesday said 55% of respondents now disapprove of Obama's performance, the worst rating of his presidency; 44% "strongly disapprove" of the way Obama is handling his job.
Obama's approval rating is 42%, tied for his all-time low and a drop of six points over the past month.
As with other surveys, the fall of Obama's numbers can be traced to problems with the health care website and canceled policies.
During a conference call with supporters Monday night, Obama said that "it turns out that purchasing insurance for a lot of folks is complicated," and the problems are being addressed.
"We've made sure that we've got a strong plan to not just fix the website, which I'm taking responsibility for, but also to make sure there are other ways that people can sign up," Obama said.
House Republicans harped Tuesday on a management study indicating that Obama administration officials were warned as early as March about potential problems with the malfunctioning health care website.
Meanwhile, a woman spotlighted in an Oct. 21 health care speech at the White House said she has had to drop her new insurance policy because the costs shot up suddenly after her enrollment.
Republicans cited the study by the firm of McKinsey & Co. during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stressing that at least some officials were warned about website problems months before the October launch date.
"We're concerned at multiple levels," said Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa. "It is absolutely clear that the start-up of the website was not going to work well if at all by Oct. 1."
Henry Chao, chief information officer at the Office of Information Services, said during the congressional hearing that he had not seen the McKinsey report, nor did he choose the date the site would launch.
Officials with the White House and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said red flags were raised during development of the website, but contractors said it would be ready by the start of October.
"Nobody anticipated the size and scope of the problems we experienced once the site launched," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. "Since that time, experts have been working night and day to get it functioning -- and that is where our focus is, and should be, right now."
CMS spokeswoman Patti Unruh said of the McKinsey study: "The review was completed six months before the beginning of open enrollment, was in line with industry best practices, and was followed by concrete action to address potential risks -- as was intended."
Unruh said that "CMS has continually evaluated progress and has taken steps to prioritize and address concerns, and mitigate risks."
The officials also pointed out that health care enrollment is surging in several states, including California, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Washington.
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a public letter than the GOP is selectively leaking documents "without appropriate context, without the benefit of witness testimony to provide additional information, and in this latest case, without providing Democratic members timely access."
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the committee's top Democrats, said things seem to be getting better with the website: "We're not where we need to be, but we're seeing improvements. Rather than just attack the health care law and try to undermine, we ought to try to make it work."
Canceled policies and rising costs are also issues in the health care debate.
Jessica Sanford, a single mother from Washington state whose enrollment in the health care plan was highlighted by Obama on Oct. 21, told CNN that her initial cost of $169 per month rose to as much as $390 per month because the government miscalculated her benefits.
"I had a good cry," Sanford told CNN. "This is it. I'm not getting insurance. That's where it stands right now unless they fix it."
A year ahead of the 2014 congressional elections, Republicans are attacking Democrats and the Obama administration over the new health care law, and demanding changes or outright repeal.
"The president is in a downward credibility spiral because the health care law people are now seeing looks nothing like the one he sold them four years ago," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Criticism of the health care law appears to be taking a toll on the president's political standing.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll on Tuesday said 55% of respondents now disapprove of Obama's performance, the worst rating of his presidency; 44% "strongly disapprove" of the way Obama is handling his job.
Obama's approval rating is 42%, tied for his all-time low and a drop of six points over the past month.
As with other surveys, the fall of Obama's numbers can be traced to problems with the health care website and canceled policies.
During a conference call with supporters Monday night, Obama said that "it turns out that purchasing insurance for a lot of folks is complicated," and the problems are being addressed.
"We've made sure that we've got a strong plan to not just fix the website, which I'm taking responsibility for, but also to make sure there are other ways that people can sign up," Obama said.
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