Eleven members of the Senate Finance Committee questioned whether federal privacy and security standards were met in the launch of the HealthCare.gov website in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday.
“(We) are troubled that day after day more issues arise which illustrate that the website was simply not ready to launch on Oct. 1,” the Committee members said in the letter. “While we recognize that the website’s operational issues are being worked on and will likely be resolved eventually, serious questions remain as to the privacy and security of the very detailed personal information being transmitted through the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace and what testing, if any, occurred or is occurring to ensure that information is secure.”
The Senators, led by Ranking Member Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), requested answers from Sebelius regarding the security and privacy standards of the Affordable Care Act.
“As the head of the HHS, you are responsible for ensuring that your agency’s information systems, including the website, fully comply with security requirements imposed by the Federal Information Security Management Act,” the letter said.
The HealthCare.gov website has to comply with implementation policies from the Office of Management and Budget as well as guidelines and standards handed down in the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.