Obamacare: Full of Bugs

Now that the shutdown/debt ceiling debacle is over (for the moment, anyway), it is worth focusing anew on Obamacare, because the program truly is dysfunctional, and the depth and breadth of that dysfunctionality deserves our attention. Consider:

  • The Obamacare website didn't even get tested until a week before the launch.
  • The website violates licensing agreements for copyrighted software. Indeed, the Department of Health and Human Services is going to get sued for having engaged in copyright violations.
  • Teal Media, which was the design consultant for the Obamacare website, is taking down all reference to its work on the website because it "doesn’t seem interested in talking about its work on HealthCare.gov." I can't say that I blame them.
  • As Peter Suderman reports, the Obama administration did not know when the health care law's mandate penalty deadline was until they were informed by a tax preparation company. You have until March 31 of next year to enroll, but if you do not enroll by February 15, you are going to pay a penalty. Quoting Suderman: "This says something about the daunting level of complexity in the tax code. And it's more than a little suggestive about the level of (in)competence that is apparently going into what is arguably the largest and most complex bureaucratic endeavor in the nation's history."
But hey, never let it be said that there is no good news whatsoever surrounding the law. Yesterday, the Weekly Standard reported that someone in Delaware was finally able to enroll in Obamacare. So, you know, progress!