Maryland health care exchange keeps documents secret
AVOIDING DISCLOSURE: A report on Maryland’s health exchange admits that due to the amount of documents and the redaction of the documents, very few conclusions could be made on accountability.
By Brad Matthews | WatchdogWire.com
The state health care exchange is using the disclosure clause the Maryland Public Information Act to justify its own secrecy regarding its documents.
The exchange is so reticent to share its information, that, in an April report by the Office of Legislative Audits, it was noted that around 26 percent of documents were redacted, and the documents relating to procurement and contracting were very heavily redacted.
To be clear, this report is separate and distinct from the audit being done of the state health care exchange.
This report admitted that, due to the amount of documents and, more importantly, the redaction of the documents, very few conclusions could be made regarding who made decisions, how decisions were made and how contracts were awarded, among other things. The documents were made so threadbare as to prevent the April audit from meeting professional auditing standards.
Why is the health care exchange trying to apply disclosure laws in reverse? MarylandReporter.com suggests that “Heavily censored documents routinely arriving after the 30-day limit suggest a powerful political bloc in Maryland is motivated to protect Anthony Brown’s reputation by ensuring all inquiries into the exchange’s problems are delayed until after the election.”
Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Browm, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was heavily involved in the rollout of the health care exchange and the many problems involved in the rollout.
