If No One's To Blame For Healthcare.gov Glitches, Then Maybe Everyone Is

Jaikumar Vijayan | Computerworld | October 24, 2013

After listening to over three hours of testimony in Congress from some of the contractors behind the Obamacare Healthcare.gov site, one thing has become abundantly clear: No vendor is responsible for the problems that have plagued the health exchange since its launch nearly a month ago.

That's right. The glitches apparently just miraculously manifested themselves the minute the site went live on Oct. 1.

Not CGI Federal that has received more than $113 million so far as the prime contractor for the project. Not Quality Software Services Inc. (QSSI), which has an $85 million contract for building the Obamacare Data Hub. And not Serco, which will get $200 million this year alone for processing paper applications received via online exchanges.

Only four of the several vendors involved in building the exchange testified before lawmakers today. But given the general tenor of the testimony so far, it's likely that none of the others are responsible either.