Healthcare.gov problems are target at Hill hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — The principal contractors responsible for the federal government's troubled health insurance website say the Obama administration shares responsibility for snags that have crippled the system.

Executives of CGI Federal, which built the federal HealthCare.gov website serving 36 states, and QSSI, which designed the part that verifies applicants' income and other personal details, were testifying today before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

As the hearing began, Republican committee members said the website problems are symptomatic of deeper flaws in the Affordable Care Act, and they accused administration officials of misleading Congress with repeated assurances that the rollout was on track.

"The American people deserve something that works, or start over," said Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., adding that the administration should suspend the health law until problems are fixed.

Democrats acknowledged the website problems but defended the law, saying millions of uninsured Americans are counting on it to finally get coverage — and thousands are succeeding in signing up. They accused Republicans of trying to sabotage the law, not to fix it.

"Republicans don't have clean hands coming here," said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J.