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The Obamacare Website Could Stay Broken for a While
New York Magazine ^ | 10/13

Posted on 10/13/2013 3:34:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway

While the government shutdown distracted much of the media from the troubled September 30 launch of the Affordable Care Act's national insurance marketplace, heathcare.gov, the site's numerous and ongoing issues have become impossible to ignore. The New York Times took a comprehensive look at the nearly two-week-old system, and it's not pretty. "These are not glitches," said an insurance executive who has communicated with federal officials who are trying to implement the new healthcare plan. "The extent of the problems is pretty enormous. At the end of our calls, people say, 'It's awful, just awful.'"

At least 14.6 million people have visited the site so far, but the government has declined to say how many have successfully used it to enroll in insurance programs. Insurance executives told the Times that they have received only "a trickle" of enrollment files. Some forms have been sent to the wrong insurers because of company name mix-ups, while others are unusable because they are missing "crucial information." Meanwhile, a Times researcher who managed to register with healthcare.gov on October 1 was never able to actually log in to the site, despite 4o attempts to do so over the course of eleven days.

Apparently, healthcare.gov's flaws aren't a surprise to many people who worked on it directly. Internal reports show that officials repeatedly worried that the $400 million system would not be ready in time for the scheduled launch date, which the Obama administration reportedly refused to move or scale back because they did not want to give ammunition to Obamacare's eager critics. Concerns included shortages of funds and other resources, slowness in providing contractors with specifications for the project, and the decision to make the Medicare and Medicaid agency responsible for integrating and testing the newly created databases and software.

Officials have said publicly that the site should be fixed in time for the December deadline to sign up for coverage that begins on New Year's Day. A Times source "familiar with the system's development" says it's "now roughly 70 percent of the way toward operating properly." As for that other 30 percent? "I’ve heard as little as two weeks or as much as a couple of months." Obviously, this situation is embarrassing for the White House. It also poses a threat to the success of the Obamacare. The program won't result in lower insurance prices unless large numbers of people participate in the new healthcare exchanges, and that won't happen if they can't even get the website to work.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; deathpanels; obamacare; zerocare
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To: nickcarraway

I read something yesterday that claimed a lot of the work was farmed out to Asian programmers. But I can’t find it again or anything else that talks about it.

You guys have a link?

Thank you.


41 posted on 10/13/2013 7:15:11 PM PDT by DManA
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To: steve86

“I wasn’t aware that Canada nationally or Ontario provincially utilize affirmative action.”

I can’t say I know that as a matter of fact. however, given that Canada is even more Marxist than we are, i’d say its a good guess.


42 posted on 10/13/2013 7:37:49 PM PDT by willywill
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
  I'm still puzzled - it's easy to believe that it's incompetence - then again, it's also easy to believe that it's intentional... but either way...

  If it's intentional, then we really can't trust government to become even more involved in the practice of medicine. If they're just incompetent, then we really can't trust government to become even more involved in the practice of medicine.

   The medical profession is really the domain of doctors. Since Obamacare is pushing so many doctors to leave the profession, maybe the best 'healthcare' plan is just to get government out - leave the doctors alone and add some tort reform and some tax reform too. (stating the obvious of course - but government isn't very good at obvious)
43 posted on 10/13/2013 7:50:54 PM PDT by Maurice Tift (Never wear anything that panics the cat. -- P.J. O'Rourke)
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To: Hoodat
I had read somewhere that maneuvering one's way through the application process on the ObamaCare website involved the running of 90+ applications.

Nuh uh.

This program cannot work.

Ever.

44 posted on 10/13/2013 7:51:46 PM PDT by Lazamataz (Early 2009 to 7/21/2013 - RIP my little girl Cathy. You were the best cat ever. You will be missed.)
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To: nickcarraway

Gee!

For the man who had Google in his shirt pocket, Obama Caligula isn’t doing so well, is he?


45 posted on 10/13/2013 8:35:55 PM PDT by Terry L Smith
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To: Wanderer99

That’s an odd generality to make.


46 posted on 10/13/2013 8:38:04 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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Incompetence begets incompetence.

No one, absolutely no once should concede the management of their health care to the Rodeo Clown!

Do not fund ClownCare!


47 posted on 10/13/2013 8:40:18 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Lazamataz; upchuck
Here's the thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3075116/posts

IT experts question architecture of Obamacare website

One possible cause of the problems is that hitting "apply" on HealthCare.gov causes 92 separate files, plug-ins and other mammoth swarms of data to stream between the user's computer and the servers powering the government website, said Matthew Hancock, an independent expert in website design. He was able to track the files being requested through a feature in the Firefox browser.

Of the 92 he found, 56 were JavaScript files, including plug-ins that make it easier for code to work on multiple browsers (such as Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer and Google Inc's Chrome) and let users upload files to HealthCare.gov.

48 posted on 10/13/2013 9:37:16 PM PDT by Hoodat (BENGHAZI - 4 KILLED, 2 MIA)
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To: dinodino
You need to learn the difference between “libertarian” and the modern “liberal.” They could not be farther apart.

What are you talking about? I used the correct word.
49 posted on 10/14/2013 3:15:35 AM PDT by Wanderer99
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To: Gene Eric

It might be odd but you can bet on me being right about it.


50 posted on 10/14/2013 3:16:05 AM PDT by Wanderer99
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To: nickcarraway
officials repeatedly worried that the $400 million system would not be ready in time for the scheduled launch date

I thought it was $625 Million.....?

51 posted on 10/14/2013 5:24:02 AM PDT by spokeshave (While Zero plays silly card games like Spades - Putin plays for keeps.)
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To: willywill
“I wasn’t aware that Canada nationally or Ontario provincially utilize affirmative action.”

Maybe they hired some from the Northern Eskimo tribes....but the computers froze......(pun intended)

52 posted on 10/14/2013 5:33:20 AM PDT by spokeshave (While Zero plays silly card games like Spades - Putin plays for keeps.)
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To: Maurice Tift

I’m still puzzled - it’s easy to believe that it’s incompetence - then again, it’s also easy to believe that it’s intentional... but either way...


Ask any software professional the chances of a project being completed on time with:
* late, unstable requirements
* compressed time schedule
* must integrate with two existing large software databases
* 55 subcontractors
* primary software development contractor with a history of not delivering on time.
* HHS management inexperienced in software development (they don’t know what they don’t know)
* two different testing organizations.
* no integration contractor to be responsible for integration of the designs and to supervise testing.

Software development professionals have known not to do this stuff for at least 40 years. This much incompetence in one project is breathtaking.


53 posted on 10/14/2013 8:43:07 PM PDT by Mack the knife
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