joining us tonight is tom scully.s the former leader for medicare and medicaid services during the bush administration and also a health policy staffer in the bush xli white house. in a new york privatee equity firmexpert on health care. we are hearing great skepicism our own reporters and correspondent, peter ducey, getting error messages when he logs on and it looks to be a bit of a mess. what do you think? >> i'm sure 's getting better, i think it's a lot better from a consumer point of view from what i can tell. i think the insurance company at the end of the day, i think that they are having huge problem with income verification that will be a big problem for the blue cross blue shield plans, trying to figure out who gets what subidies. and i think you'll really know if it takes that long, possibly march or april. lou: march or april. the guy in charge of getting this thing fixed, he said that he could make it by the end of december. and another expert said he is confident that he will work it out by 2017. cities

joining us tonight is tom scully.et former administrator at centers for medicare & medicaid services ding the bush administration, the last. also a health policy staffer in the bush 41 white house. he's currently a general partner with welch carson, a new york private equity firm investing in health care. good to have you back with us tom, first, the administration is claiming great success and progress here. we're aso hearing great skepticism. we just recounted our own correspondent, steve doocy sir, peteroocy, going through and getting error messages. it still looks to be a bit of a mess. what do youhink? >> it is a mess. it can't be a lot worse than it was two months ago. it is aot better from the consumer point of view as far as i can tell. insurance companies, they're finding huge problems with income verification. that will be a big problem for aetnas and cigna, blue cross plans next few months figuring out who get whats subsidies. it is a complex system. th're having a rough time. it is better than a few months

. >> in fairness to billy tauzin and former medicare chief tom scully, they weren't the only public officialsinvolved with the prescription drug bill who later went to work for the pharmaceutical industry. just before the vote, tauzin cited the people who had been most helpful in getting in passed. >> i specifically want to thank the staffs and committees from ways and means. john mcmanus that did such a great job. >> within a few months mcmanus left congress and started his own lobbying firm. among his new clients were phrma, pfizer, lilly and merck. >> from a majority side of the finance committee, linda fishman. >> fishman left to become a lobbyist with the drug manufacturer amgen. >> not the least of all but the energy and commerce committee staff who toiled so hard for us, chief of staff pat morrissey. >> morrissey took a job lobbying for drug companies novartis and hoffman-laroche. >> and jeremy allen. >> he went to johnson and johnson. >> kathleen weldon and jim barnett. >> she went to lobby for biogen, a biotech company. he left to lobby for hoffman-laroche. >> they did a marvelous jo