JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida's senior United States Senator calls it inexcusable that the website for the health care marketplace still doesn't work well three weeks after it was launched.
During a stop in Jacksonville on Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson says healthcare.gov is better, but still unacceptable.
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"The health care website is running better, but it's not good enough. Someone should be fired," Nelson said. "You shouldn't fire them now; you should get it up and running. Eventually, I believe someone will be held account."
Google engineer Michael Dickerson has been recruited to help fix the website and software companies Red Hat and Oracle will also help get healthcare.gov working properly.
While Nelson doesn't have any patience for enrollment problems, he fully supports the Affordable Health Care Act.
"The problem is not with the law. The problem is not with the health reform," Nelson said.
Nelson also discussed a second government website that's not working as it should: Florida's new $63 million CONNECT unemployment website. Nelson is asking the Department of Labor to investigate after problems have plagued the state's new website for handling unemployment benefits since its launch last week.
"While states administer their own unemployment compensation program … they do so under the Department of Labor, which oversees many of the programs our nation has for American workers, including unemployment benefits," Nelson wrote in a letter to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. "The main purpose behind this federal-state program is to help stabilize the economy during recessions. But it certainly won't be of much help in my state if those who have lost their jobs face protracted delays in seeking or receiving benefits."