Tech experts: Health exchange site needs total overhaul
WASHINGTON — The federal health care exchange was built using 10-year-old technology that may require constant fixes and updates for the next six months and the eventual overhaul of the entire system, technology experts told USA TODAY.
"Even if they had a perfect system, it still won't work."
"They may be using 1990s technology in 2.0 world."
Outsiders acknowledged they can't see the whole system, but they said they feared HHS built a system that will need an expensive overhaul.
"I think it's a data problem," Kim said. "It always comes down to that."
And if that's the case, the problems are beyond "rocky," he said. Instead, it would require a "fundamental re-architecture." In the meantime, "I think they're just trying to shore up as quickly as possible. They don't have time to start from scratch."
"If I was them, and I'm just conjecturing, I would probably come up with some manual way of saying, 'Only people with the last name starting with 'A' can sign up today," he said.
But come March 31, when the first enrollment period ends, the "shore up" period may become a "re-architecting" period, Kim said.