HealthCare.gov has a storied history — from a successful initial launch, to its infamous challenges in 2013, to its record-breaking numbers this past enrollment cycle. While the site has seen its ups and downs, its transformations have prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to create lasting cultural change and promoted valuable lessons across government.
Although the Marketplace’s failed launch in 2013 has become the stuff of civic tech legend, HealthCare.gov saw a successful premiere on July 1, 2010. The website’s first version offered a lightweight screener tool that, for the first time ever, allowed visitors to see all the public and private health insurance options available to them. This was the beginning of cost transparency in the marketplace — previously, consumers weren’t able to access all of the price points available to them…
But on Oct. 1, 2013, HealthCare.gov crashed within two hours of its launch, and only six people nationwide were able to select health plans on the website’s first day. It took about two months for the emergency “tech surge” team to get the website operational.
An Office of Inspector General report found that CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made various missteps throughout the development and implementation process. A lack of leadership, the report said, “caused delays in decision-making, lack of clarity in project tasks and the inability of CMS to recognize the magnitude of problems as the project deteriorated.”… Read the full article here.
