Cover Oregon still isn’t online six months after its troubled launch, and now it looks like it never will be. Portland’s KATU reports that Oregon officials will recommend dumping its “beleaguered” state-run exchange, which was only able to accept paper applications because of its nonfunctional website, and will switch over to the federal program.
Portland Business Journal reports that acting CIO Alex Pettit made the announcement at a Thursday morning press conference. While the timeline and impact the switch will have on current plans remains unclear, Pettit said he will travel to Washington, D.C. next week to discuss Cover Oregon’s transition.
The $305-million “fiasco” left several state health officials in its wake, leading to several resignations and removals since October. Democratic governor John Kitzhaber also took some heat for his role in overseeing the program; in January, he walked out of an interview with KATU when asked about Cover Oregon. The situation escalated to the point that the FBI investigated the program for fraud in misleading the federal government about the state’s progress.