The chief executives of the largest insurance companies have pledged their support in helping the Obama administration repair the problems plaguing the new health insurance exchanges since they opened almost a month ago.
In a meeting Wednesday with U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, the insurer CEOs provided a "picture of what's going on on the ground" with exchange enrollments, a source at the meeting told CNN.
The White House said in a statement after the meeting that it's "collaborating very closely with the insurers" to address problems with enrollment information the exchange website, HealthCare.gov, is supposed to send to insurers each day.
That's why the CEOs of Aetna, WellPoint, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and nine other insurers agreed to join forces with the Obama administration, lending their technology experts to work alongside HHS experts, CNBC reported.
"We are encouraged they are looking to the experts in the industry," the CNN source said. "The reality is that we have so much expertise they haven't tapped into enough."
America's Health Insurance Plans, whose CEO Karen Ignani also attended the White House gathering, added that the health insurance industry is committed to helping the exchanges succeed.
"Health plans will continue to collaborate with the technical officials at HHS and CMS to help address existing operational issues, such as challenges with direct enrollment and the processing of enrollment files, to further enhance the consumer experience," AHIP spokesperson Robert Zirkelbach said after the meeting, reported Fox Business.
To learn more:
- here's the White House statement
- read the CNN article
- see the CNBC article
- check out the Fox Business article