ObamaCare Website Problems: HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius Offers To Testify In Congress About Website Glitches

Secretary Sebelius offers to testify before Congress about ObamaCare Website problems during its first week of rollout, which caused millions of Americans delay in signing up for the program.

The announcement by House Republicans about HHS Secretary's testimony late Monday was just few hours after House Speaker John Boehner criticized the White House for missing out a hearing scheduled this Thursday.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced that Sec. Sebelius is "expected" to attend the hearing on Wednesday, October 30. Committee's announcement was made hours after the Sebelius confirmed she was willing to testify at a "mutually agreeable date."

CGI and QSSI, main contractors for the problematic ObamaCare Website, are scheduled to testify before the same committee days before Sebelius' schedule.

Committee Chairman Fred Upton slammed Secretary Sebelius after she went to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last week to talk about the website.

"The rollout has been a complete mess, beyond the worst case scenario, and yet those administration officials responsible have indicated they will not be available to testify next week," Upton said. "Secretary Sebelius had time for Jon Stewart, and we expect her to have time for Congress," the Michigan Republican reiterates said.  

The committee hearing on Thursday will focus on the officials involved with ObamaCare website, whether they "Didn't Know or Didn't Disclose" problems. The committee has repeatedly calling the administration's attention to send witnesses to Capitol Hill to clear things up.

Thursday's hearing will be entitled "PPACA Implementation: Unprepared or Incompetent?"

On the other hand, the administration has defended Sebelius saying that the secretary had "always indicated to the committee that she intended to testify." A previous commitment in Phoenix made it impossible for Sebelius to attend the hearing on Thursday.

The site intends to provide a menu of insurance plans for Americans living in the 36 states without their own site however it has been beleaguered by problems such as crashing under heavy user traffic, logging inaccurate data and not letting the customers to either register or purchase plans.

However, the site, which provides a menu of insurance plans for Americans in the 36 states without their own site, has instead been plagued by such problems as crashing under heavy user traffic, failing to let customers register or purchase plans and reportedly logging inaccurate information.

People can still sign up via written application, and the administration had still time before insurance coverage begins Jan. 1, 2013, under Obama's 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

ObamaCare's website problems could slow down the president's goal of providing insurance to 7 million Americans in its first year.

The administration has promised to release enrollment figures to the committee but has yet to deliver.

"It's well past time for the administration to be straight and transparent with the American people," Committee Chairman Fred Upton said recently. "Top administration officials repeatedly testified everything was on track, but the broad technological failures reveal that was not the case... The president and top officials were quick to boast the number of visitors to HealthCare.gov, but they have since gone silent."