Montana Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen was in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, October 30 meeting with federal health insurance officials to find out what the government is doing to fix its troubled health insurance marketplace.

Communications Director Jennifer McKee said Commissioner Lindeen is a high official in a national organization, and traveled to Washington, D.C. in conjunction with that responsibility.

"Commissioner Lindeen is the vice-president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners," McKee said. "While she was in Washington on association business, she had the chance to question some health and human services officials, and bring her message to them that the healthcare.gov website that Montanans use to buy health insurance and obtain tax credits through the Affordable Care Act, must be fixed."

McKee said Lindeen's criticisms were directed to federal officials over the frustrations that Montanans are currently experiencing.

"The website is not helping to coordinate the smooth function of Montana's insurance market," McKee said. "It's not really serving its function as a lifeline for Montanans who are looking for affordable quality health insurance."

McKee said it was pure coincidence that Lindeen's visit coincided with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius' appearance before Congress.

"This was a meeting that she had scheduled weeks before," McKee said. "You know how Montanans are, she didn't want to waste the trip, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone. The commissioner's actions speak for themselves, in that she's no longer willing to wait."

Communications Director Jennifer McKee:

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