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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Chinese site uses Medford domain name for car scam ... Medford teen sentenced for assaulting baby ... Mercy Flights debuts new helicopter ... Chinese site uses Medford domain name for car scam ... Medford teen sentenced for assaulting baby ... Mercy Flights debuts new helicopter ... INVESTIGATION U.S. House panel seeks Cover Oregon documents U.S. reps warn governor's office to not destroy records Comment By Steven Dubois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven Dubois The Associated Press Posted Feb. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Steven Dubois The Associated Press Posted Feb. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News PORTLAND — A Congressional panel investigating Cover Oregon has asked departing Gov. John Kitzhaber to preserve all documents related to the shutdown of the dysfunctional health insurance exchange. A letter submitted Friday by four members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asks for a slew of documents in hopes of understanding whether campaign advisers played a role in the decision to switch to the federal health insurance exchange. The letter warns the governor's office not to alter or destroy any records — a reference to a Kitzhaber staffer's recent request to have the governor's personal emails deleted from the state archives. The request was denied. "If it is the routine practice of any state employee or contractor to destroy or otherwise alter such records, halt that practice," the letter states. Kitzhaber announced his resignation Friday amid a conflict-of-interest scandal involving his longtime girlfriend, Cylvia Hayes, and whether she used her access to power to advance her consulting business. The Cover Oregon debacle has been a yearslong headache for Kitzhaber, a former emergency room doctor who prides himself on matters involving health care. The exchange website never fully launched, forcing the state to hire hundreds of workers to manually process applications. The state finally scrapped the online portal in spring 2014 and switched to the federal site, HealthCare.gov. The decision came in the same year Kitzhaber was running for what would prove to be a successful re-election campaign. The U.S. House committee seeking the documents by Feb. 27 wants to know if the decision to abandon the Cover Oregon exchange — funded with $305 million in federal grants — was based on election-year politics. The Republican-controlled committee seeks all communications from those associated with Cover Oregon, the re-election campaign and other contractors and consultants. The committee has been investigating Cover Oregon since last March, when it requested thousands of documents to see if the private information of Oregon residents was placed in a vulnerable position. By Steven Dubois The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Steven Dubois The Associated Press Posted Feb. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501