Info Tech
Obamacare official tells Congress website glitches ‘not acceptable’
WASHINGTON – American consumers’ initial experience on the Obamacare website Healthcare.gov has been inadequate and unacceptable, a key administration official overseeing the troubled launch told a congressional panel on Tuesday.
Marilyn Tavenner, director of the agency in charge of setting up the online insurance exchanges, said the administration was determined to repair the glitches, but experts were still diagnosing the problems and have much work ahead.
“The initial consumer experience of Healthcare.gov has not lived up to the expectations of the American people and is not acceptable,” Tavenner, a former nurse who heads the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in prepared testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee.
“We are committed to fixing these problems as soon as possible,” she said.
It has been four weeks since the website at the center of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law was switched on, but it has been plagued by error messages, delays and bugs, which information technology experts from both the government and private contractors have been scrambling to fix.
On Sunday, a data center outage prevented Americans from enrolling in the subsidized health insurance provided for under Obama’s Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare. The site was back up on Monday.
Republicans have seized on the troubled website to further attack Obamacare and question whether administration officials hid problems before the launch. They are expected to press Tavenner on testimony she gave in August, when she said work was on track to roll out a tested website that would make it easy for Americans to enroll for insurance.
Tavenner said in her testimony for Tuesday that an “initial wave of interest stressed the account service, resulting in many consumers experiencing difficulty signing up, while those who were able to sign up sometimes had problems logging in.”
She also placed some blame on the contractors helping to build and maintain the website, saying a subset of them “have not met expectations.” She did not name the contractors.
A “new infusion of talent” has been brought in and experts are working aggressively to diagnose the parts that are still experiencing problems, Tavenner said. They are continuing to add capacity, and more people are creating accounts, she said.
“We are pleased with these quick improvements, but we know there is still significant, additional work to be done,” she said.
Tavenner’s testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee marks the second congressional hearing to examine the problems with the program’s rollout. Last week, contractors who worked on the site told a different panel that the administration launched it after only a minimum of system-wide testing.
Tavenner, 62, was confirmed for her job by the Senate in May. She had been optimistic about the rollout when questioned by lawmakers about it in April and again in August.
She is appearing before Congress one day before her boss, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, testifies to Congress on the same subject.
With Obama adviser Jeffrey Zients saying Healthcare.gov should be fixed by the end of November, experts say the administration could lose the interest of healthy younger adults aged 18-35 for whom the website was seen as a major avenue for enrollment.
On Monday, the White House issued a report promoting the program for young people. Based partly on Census data, it said 46 percent of young adults who live alone in 34 states could get health coverage for $50 a month or less under Obamacare.
Republicans in Congress have introduced a flurry of legislation they say is aimed at protecting the public from the problem-plagued rollout.
Senators Marco Rubio and Jerry Moran have a bill to delay – until six months after the troubled Healthcare.gov is fully functioning – the mandate requiring most Americans to have health insurance in 2014 or pay a penalty.
Fred Upton, the Republican chair of the House, Energy and Commerce Committee, has also produced a bill allowing insurers to maintain existing health plans in 2014 outside the new online health insurance exchanges – even if they do not meet the benefit standards of Obamacare.
– REUTERS
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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