President Barack Obama’s health care website, healthcare.gov, has been plagued by serious technical glitches such as garbled text, error messages and page-loading delays since it launched three weeks ago. The problems have yet to be fixed. Meanwhile, millions of insurance seekers have not been able to sign up. Both parties have rightly urged Obama to fix the kinks as soon as possible, and questions have risen over whether the problems are related to inefficiencies in the law itself.
The website is designed in a way that demands customers enter detailed personal information before choosing from a range of options. Conservative political commentators have speculated that the reasoning behind the website’s design was prompted by a desire to withhold price information from customers until they are registered.
The website’s flaws have drastically hindered implementation of key components of the Affordable Care Act. But it is wrong to attribute the program glitches to the law itself — these are separate issues. Millions of Americans will eventually have the opportunity to sign up for coverage and, until this happens, it’s too early to judge the effectiveness of the actual law.
In his first public criticism of the website, Obama called the technical problems “unacceptable.” The move marks the beginning of the administration’s comprehensive damage control efforts. In an attempt to quell national concern, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has assured Americans that the site’s troubles will not last long. HHS is bringing in technology experts from inside and outside of the government to help correct the glitches. But malfunctions notwithstanding, HHS is quick to defend the site, reminding critics that individuals can still verify eligibility for credits, making it possible to shop and enroll in case-specific health plans.
The technical problems of the health care website are indeed unacceptable. But these digital kinks are far from a reflection of the Affordable Care Act’s system of providing medical coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. Difficulties in the coding of a federal website have allowed the political right to continue its indirect attack on an affirmed law. More than merely frivolous and misguided, conservative criticisms of digital issues impede the possibility of a quick remedy. Rather than using these problems as another platform for political infighting, commentators should support the efforts the Obama administration is making to implement critical repairs so every American can access private health care.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 21 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at edit [email protected].