Thanks A Lot, Healthcare.Gov

[Commentary] Healthcare.gov isn’t just a website where people buy health insurance. It’s the support system for the way health care works now. By design, there is no way to get correct pricing on insurance without touching some part of Healthcare.gov. It’s the first time a major law has depended so heavily on the Internet. Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed, President Barack Obama has reportedly ended every health care meeting the same way: “If the website doesn’t work, nothing else matters.” Only 50,000 people reportedly enrolled in the first six weeks, far below the expected 500,000. Meanwhile, more than a third of uninsured Americans still haven’t heard of Healthcare.gov, suggesting there is a crush of traffic to come. The disastrous launch is now serving as evidence for everything on the Republican agenda from repealing health care reform -- a fundamentally divisive policy point between the two parties for decades -- to delaying a vote on immigration. However, the site’s very public flop has also sparked a debate that could turn the travesty into a teachable moment. Suddenly, everyone is talking about how the government builds technology and federal IT procurement.