HHS releasing few stats from HealthCare.gov

The Obama administration is keeping a tight lid on most figures related to the performance of HealthCare.gov, a practice that drew criticism during the site’s failed launch last year. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported Saturday that 500,000 people logged on to the site, and 100,000 submitted applications, but most other statistics remain private as the system enters its fifth day back online. 

{mosads}The federal exchange appears to be functioning well in its second year, with only a few glitches temporarily hampering users. 

Still, information available about the system’s functionality pales in comparison to what Massachusetts health officials release about that state’s exchange, which inspired the Affordable Care Act. 

In Massachusetts, officials report the number of accounts created, applications submitted and eligibility determinations made on the state’s marketplace every day. 

Reports from the exchange’s “dashboard” also include the number of daily unique visits to the enrollment site and the number of consumer calls handled by call centers. 

HHS is likely to release some of these numbers, as it did last year but much less frequently. A request for comment from the department was not immediately returned. 

The choice not to release comprehensive data drew interest from Washington Post media reporter Erik Wemple, who pointed to wider disclosures from the Massachusetts and Kentucky exchanges. 

“Why can’t the feds act more like these states? We posed that question to HHS and are awaiting an on-the-record answer,” Wemple wrote Tuesday night. 

HHS typically releases enrollment figures on a monthly basis or when the numbers break an important ceiling.