Testing for all exchange systems developed for the Affordable Care Act--including the controversial data hub and all other IT systems created by states, health insurers and federal agencies--will begin this month and continue through September, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said on Thursday.
At a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Washington, D.C., Tavenner reiterated that a majority of the development of services necessary to support open enrollment starting on Oct. 1, is complete, Reuters reported.
"CMS has been conducting systems tests since October 2012 and will complete end-to-end testing before open enrollment begins," Tavenner said.
Another CMS official told Reuters that testing will continue right up until the systems are ready to run, adding that testing continues, even after it officially is complete.
Legislation introduced last Friday by Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) calls for a one-year delay in the launch of the data hub, which will connect all of the state health insurance exchanges with federal agencies. Meehan, in a statement about the legislation (H.R. 2837), said the abuse and theft potential for information stored in the hub is "unprecedented."
Tavenner confirmed at a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing last month that development of the data hub had been completed.
To learn more:
- watch the full hearing
- read the Reuters article