If you like your health care exchange...
Oregon is preparing to scrap its terrible ObamaCare exchange
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After almost seven months of delays and hang-ups, Oregon is moving toward scuttling its state-run ObamaCare exchange and switching over to the federal one.
An advisory panel on Thursday recommended that the state dump its proprietary exchange and have residents instead obtain insurance via the federal site, HealthCare.org. Alex Pettit, the state's chief information officer, estimated that fixing the beleaguered state-run exchange would cost $78 million, while switching to the federal exchange would be a comparative bargain, at just $4 million to $6 million.
Cover Oregon has been a disaster from the start, with severe glitches plaguing the site and top officials resigning as the problems proved too extensive for swift fixes. As of now, residents can only apply for coverage through a costly, time-consuming paper application process — hardly the simple, swift system state officials envisioned before the disastrous launch.
The full Cover Oregon team must still vote on the proposal Friday. As for the feds, they're reportedly prepared to take control.