Unlike the nation’s banks, the Obamacare Exchange program was not too big to fail. The website failed, and yet we trust Obama to run our health policy right.
-By Brad Tidwell
One of the loudest arguments made by Democrats in support of upholding Obamacare: it’s the law. Nevermind their newfound respect for the rule of law, the contradiction with the Bush-era mantra of “Dissent is Patriotic”, or that Obamacare was rammed through on a narrow, party-line vote. It’s law, and therefore, it must be upheld.
This was certainly the message Obama had early this morning:
“The Affordable Care Act is moving forward. You can’t shut it down.” —President Obama #Obamacare
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2013
However, it seems that unlike the nation’s banks, the Exchange program was not too big to fail. Reports rolled in quickly from all across the internet that, much like Obamacare, they had to launch it to see what was in it. Kansas Congressman Tim Huelskamp got this error page:
It’s 12:09 a.m. EDT and the #ObamaCare exchanges do not work. #Glitch pic.twitter.com/L0wSaS8xI8
— Cong. Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) October 1, 2013
Even if you can get past the initial pages, there are still errors to be found. Once you get to the end of the process of inputting your information .
@HealthCareGov “Important: Your account couldnt be created at this time. The system is unavailable.” pic.twitter.com/VKQqfAe5A2
— Lou Rain (@ljrain) October 1, 2013
Not only that, but if you try to click the support button to get help with the system, it seems not even that will work:
Oh, the #ObamaCare exchange is down? Don’t worry; use the “live chat” option! Oh, that’s down, too? Oops. pic.twitter.com/j4vvKZHYGj
— Jonathan Ingram (@ingramlaw) October 1, 2013
Apparently the Oregon exchange is down as well:
@SenTedCruz day one obamacare: the oregon exchange is down! pic.twitter.com/GLXwYbjtz4
— DaylightDisinfectant (@daylightdis) October 1, 2013
Fortunately, the Healthcare.gov twitter team hears your concerns:
Thanks for all your comments and updates as you enroll. We apologize that wait times on the site and hotline are longer than expected! (1/2)
— HealthCare.gov (@HealthCareGov) October 1, 2013
We’re working to fix these issues as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience (2/2)
— HealthCare.gov (@HealthCareGov) October 1, 2013
After Harry Reid refused to negotiate on Obamacare to the point of shutting down the government, one would think they’d at least get Obamacare right. But it seems that for all of the time, energy and money the Obama administration has put into the exchange program, they still can’t even manage basic web infrastructure.
Today’s failure is particularly revealing as it demonstrates the inherent flaws of a policy like Obamacare. Having a one-size-fits-all health care program run by the government is not just bad politics- it’s dangerous for the entire country. With the health care of millions on the line, the government couldn’t even keep a website running properly. And now, we’re trusting them to run our health policy.
H/T to Twitchy Team for identifying some tweets on the subject.
