Three Oregon officials exit over insurance exchange debacle

Three senior Oregon officials are out after release of a report Thursday that said no one was truly in charge of ensuring that the state's health insurance exchange website was functional when it launched Oct. 1. In response, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said Dr. Bruce Goldberg, who served as interim director of Cover Oregon, had resigned as director of the Oregon Health Authority. The previous director of Cover Oregon, Rocky King, stepped down in December. In addition, the exchange's chief information officer and chief operating officer are also being removed. Goldberg will stay on as acting director of the exchange until a replacement is hired.

Oregon's website has been plagued with problems. In January, Kitzhaber hired consulting firm First Data Corp. to investigate. Its report found systemic management problems, poor communication, shoddy contracting, and a lack of clear consensus on who was accountable for making sure the complex project succeeded. Beyond the state's internal troubles, the report also found problems with its lead contractor, Oracle Corp. Kitzhaber suggested the state is likely to sue Oracle. Oracle had no comment.

Follow Paul Demko on Twitter: @MHPDemko