Rep. Blackburn Subdued During Obamacare Hearings

In a September editorial, Rep. Blackburn (R-Brentwood) described Obamacare as a “train wreck” that she was working to delay in order to defund the law. Credit: U.S. House

Brentwood Congressman Marsha Blackburn – who has spent countless cable TV interviews railing on Obamacare – remained relatively reserved Thursday.

In hearings on the flawed launch of the health insurance exchange website, Blackburn simply asked questions, primarily about the security of patient information.

 “Were you all trained in HIPAA compliance prior to beginning your contract? I’ll just go right down the line. Ms. Campbell?”

The executives who testified said they were trained in protecting sensitive data.

Blackburn is vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Even in her opening statement she struck a less divisive tone. Instead of arguing for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, she merely suggested that even Democrats can’t be “a blind cheerleader” of the law in the face of its rocky start.