Software, Design Defects Cripple Health-Care Website

WSJ ^ | 10/6/2013 | CHRISTOPHER WEAVER

[mojito]

Six days into the launch of insurance marketplaces created by the new health-care law, the federal government acknowledged for the first time Sunday it needed to fix design and software problems that have kept customers from applying online for coverage.

The Obama administration said last week that an unanticipated surge of Web traffic caused most of the problems and was a sign of high demand by people seeking to buy coverage under the new law.

But federal officials said Sunday the online marketplace needed design changes, as well as more server capacity to improve efficiency on the federally run exchange that serves 36 states.

[....]

The website is troubled by coding problems and flaws in the architecture of the system, according to insurance-industry advisers, technical experts and people close to the development of the marketplace.

Among the technical problems thwarting consumers, according to some of those people, is the system to confirm the identities of enrollees. Troubles in the system are causing crashes as users try to create accounts, the first step before they can apply for coverage.

Experian PLC, an information-services firm, holds a federal subcontract to support that system. The company declined to comment.

[RJS1950]

Not unlike the boot manufacturer during the civil war whose boots fell apart after soldiers wore them for only one day. The POS manufacturer replied: “Well, they were meant for the cavalry”.

[GilesB]

“The website is troubled by coding problems and flaws in the architecture of the system
And to think we put a man on the moon almost half a century ago.
This entire gov’t is nothing but amateurs.”

Well, this internet thingy is brand-new technology, you can’t expect anybody to be able to design a system that would withstand a large number of “hits” and still function properly - it’s never been done before! I’m sure they’ll get the actual health care part right, though.

[Chode]

[Salgak]

Actually, that’s kind of irrelevant.

Consider it as an engineering problem. You have a CONOPS, the “Affordable Care Act”, weighing in at ~1800 pages.

You then have raw requirements, the 10,000+ pages of supporting regulations, which were still in flux and development ever since.

Call it a year to call for bidders, do the bid and award, and get things started. We’re already in late 2011.

Turn all of that to a specific set of requirements and develop a performance and detail spec: another year.

Which gives you a year to design, build, and test ??? Not gonna work.

Congress has no idea of the engineering realities required by their actions, I’d be surprised if it’s moderately functional for SOME classes of cases, in a year or so from now. . . .

This is what we get with a House and Senate composed mostly of Lawyers. . . .

[duckman]

IMO, even if all the software/hardware/design problems were fixed, there still the premium/deductible/provider availability issues that are shocking.

[Uri’el-2012]

What sez it was designed to fail ?

[JediJones]

"After what I've been through, I'm a little suspicious," Mr. Push said, adding that he hoped to see premiums lower than what he pays now.

Once again the only example of someone buying or getting close to buying Obamacare insurance is someone who ALREADY HAS INSURANCE and is just looking for some taxpayer-subsidization to lower his costs. I thought the whole reason this law was passed was to insure the uninsured? Turns out the real purpose is to move people who already have money onto welfare rolls, or to turn people who might be voting Republican now into Democrat-dependent constituents.

[Justa]

[JediJones]

As always, communism means lots of long lines and waiting. First bread in the U.S.S.R. and now Obamacare signs-ups. Just wait until all the moochers get lined up in front of you at the doctor’s office and you’re put on the waiting list.

[JediJones]

You have 15 seconds to comply...

[Liberty Wins]

This entire gov't is nothing but amateurs.

Thank goodness they're not professionals, we might be in REAL trouble.

[rockrr]

Just more proof that Idiocracy was a documentary... ;’)

[AlphaOneAlpha]

Whoever gave the go-ahead to put this system on-line should be shot. It is technology malfeasince to push an inempt system out to a large user community while the powers to be absolutely KNEW as not ready-just to make a date.
House republicans should supena the heads of each of the subcontracted companies and start asking how this happened and who agreed to the roll-out or said it ain’t baked yet so hold it up.

[EternalVigilance]

[GeronL]

Apparently the software is open source where anyone can download and study it and find a way in. Or set up their own site and phish the fishies.

[BikerJoe]

Which gives you a year to design, build, and test ??? Not gonna work. Congress has no idea of the engineering realities required by their actions, I’d be surprised if it’s moderately functional for SOME classes of cases, in a year or so from now. . . .

There is such a thing as designing for change, recognizing that the requirements are in flux.

Some of this was just poor project management.

Someone I know does Cisco systems for a living. His company has a contract with (3) state exchanges. He was furious when, in mid-September, he was ordered to "open all the ports on the firewalls...they don't know which ones they need." Talk about a security disaster!

[Chode]

bingo...

[Uncle Miltie]

But it is such an excellent teachable moment for the American People:

Government Doesn’t Work!

Keep Government out of Healthcare!

[Windflier]

And to think we put a man on the moon almost half a century ago.

Yep, and with an onboard computer that had less processing power than a hand held calculator.

[Salgak]

That’s indicative of poor, if ANY, requirements control. No wonder it doesn’t work. . .