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Feds Confirm Investigation Into Cover Oregon

Headquarters of the Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C.
Rob Ketcherside
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Flickr
Headquarters of the Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C.

Federal officials confirmed Wednesday that they will investigate the troubled roll-out of Oregon's health insurance exchange website.

The Government Accountability Office accepted a request from three Oregon members of Congress to look into the problems of Cover Oregon. The exchange has spent more than $200 million in federal grant money but still does not allow members of the public to enroll online.

The announcement pleased Cover Oregon critics in Salem such as Republican Representative Dennis Richardson.

"We need to clarify what really went on, what transpired, so that there are not false allegations or under or over-estimates of what took place," he said. "We need facts, so that the people can put this matter behind them."

Richardson is also running for governor. The office of Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber did not respond to a request for comment.

The GAO says its probe will also include other states, bout it did not specify which ones.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman
Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.