koshergrl
Diamond Member
- Aug 4, 2011
- 81,129
- 14,025
- 2,190
"Early in its life, Cover Oregon was given a $48 million early innovator grant from the federal government. That amount would later grow to $59 million.
There were a few strings attached though.
To keep the money flowing, the website would have to hit specific benchmarks between 2011 and 2013. The state needed to show the feds it had picked a company to provide software and technical assistance; it had to demonstrate that the website was safe from hackers; and, most importantly, it had to show that people could actually sign up for insurance on the website.
The evidence these marks had been reached would be presented during a process called gate reviews.
"Sheehan, who spent two years on the state legislatures joint IT oversight committee, said somebody approached him in December with a disturbing allegation.
It was communicated to me that something - one of these gate reviews having to do with a benchmark for federal funding - that the State of Oregon was not being truthful, Sheehan said.
"Meanwhile, multiple reports by state and independent IT experts were finding there had been problems with the Cover Oregon websites design and planning from the beginning.
Despite the fact the website still doesnt work today, the KATU Investigators found evidence Lawson or members of her staff reported to the federal government that the project was going well."
Fraud.
""If they were able to connect the dots and if it's true, someone's going to prison. It would be fraud. It would be the State of Oregon, actually, willfully, misrepresenting something for federal funding."
New Cover Oregon Allegations: 'If it's True, Someone's Going to Prison' - WPMI LOCAL 15 News - Top Stories
There were a few strings attached though.
To keep the money flowing, the website would have to hit specific benchmarks between 2011 and 2013. The state needed to show the feds it had picked a company to provide software and technical assistance; it had to demonstrate that the website was safe from hackers; and, most importantly, it had to show that people could actually sign up for insurance on the website.
The evidence these marks had been reached would be presented during a process called gate reviews.
"Sheehan, who spent two years on the state legislatures joint IT oversight committee, said somebody approached him in December with a disturbing allegation.
It was communicated to me that something - one of these gate reviews having to do with a benchmark for federal funding - that the State of Oregon was not being truthful, Sheehan said.
"Meanwhile, multiple reports by state and independent IT experts were finding there had been problems with the Cover Oregon websites design and planning from the beginning.
Despite the fact the website still doesnt work today, the KATU Investigators found evidence Lawson or members of her staff reported to the federal government that the project was going well."
Fraud.
""If they were able to connect the dots and if it's true, someone's going to prison. It would be fraud. It would be the State of Oregon, actually, willfully, misrepresenting something for federal funding."
New Cover Oregon Allegations: 'If it's True, Someone's Going to Prison' - WPMI LOCAL 15 News - Top Stories
