Bob CollinsToday’s release of the review of MNsure from the Office of the Legislative Auditor leaves a big question for MNsure’s board of directors and the Commerce Department: What were you thinking when you put such incompetence on the payroll?
This one page in the report concerning the development of the technological infrastructure by MNsure is a how-to on developing something that is sure to fail.
MNsure rejected the auditor’s finding on this point, saying it contradicts the facts. It contends the I.T. agency’s participation was robust, although it acknowledges its expertise “was not utilized in the early stages of the project.”
The legislative auditor recommended that MNsure’s CEO be appointed by the governor, rather than MNsure’s board of directors.
That would require the Legislature to change the law.
It helped create the mess, passing a state law exempting MNsure from the authority of Minnesota state government information technology division, and creating a board to oversee MNsure staff without providing the authority to .
April Todd-Malmlov, the failed CEO of MNsure, has landed on her feet. She’s now a senior vice president at Avalere Health, a Washington firm that consults with business and industry on healthcare issues.
She refused to talk to the legislative auditor for today’s report because she wouldn’t be paid to do so.
The commissioner of I.T. — who appears to have seen the disaster coming and tried to stop it — left the Dayton administration several months ago.
