We paid $634 million for the Obamacare sites and all we got was this lousy 404

Post by RockyMcNuts » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 8:19 PM UTC

hga wrote: post #225

RockyMcNuts wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

insurance doesn't work unless it's universal. it just falls apart once either side picks and chooses. the young people don't buy it, and then they fall off their bike and they're screwed. and the insurers can't get stuck with just sick people, they have the whole pre-existing condition thing, so your kids get sick and you can't leave your job. a sick person looking for treatment is the opposite of everything that mak…

That's more than a bit of a strawman you've constructed. I for one am willing to admit that I'm not smart enough to construct a path to a "free market" (a phrase I've never used in this discussion till this message) system after three quarters of a century of massive government intervention. Heck, it would require an end to "democracy", and/or a few generations of radically changed public schooling, and/or "reeducati…

Post by sailfast » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 8:46 PM UTC

evilduck wrote: post #209

sailfast wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please do not let this discourage you. The stories are, sadly, quite accurate depending on which company you work for (there are better situations than bodyshops) but we can't afford to give up. Dive in and help change things. This is a monumental challenge that requires more people that know a better way and are willing to act.

I agree that some suck less than others but being a government contractor will always suck more than working in private industry (even as a contractor). Just to not be a totally cynical asshole, I have heard NOAA is actually pretty modernized and efficient and everyone I've talked to seemed to be happy working there. I'd also add that while the place I was at had its share of crap, the government for the most part lo…

Post by somebehemoth » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:51 PM UTC

wikiburner wrote: post #215

somebehemoth wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"As many as 20 million "tried to" sign up, based on their extrapolation of some polling data." The quote refers to "single digits" and it is ridiculous. If even close to 20 million people tried to sign up then that means many millions of citizens need this coverage and will likely end up getting it because having health insurance is critical to their livelihood. Am I to believe 20 million people needed health insuran…

We seem to be having completely different arguments. At no point did I say there was no demand for Obamacare. I'm saying the government has shown a remarkable level of incompetence at running what's essentially a simple lead gen website. I'm also suggesting that this probably doesn't bode well for the successful administration of the program. Regarding your second point, it's become somewhat of a meme in the press th…

Post by donniefitz2 » Fri, Oct 11, 2013, 6:54 AM UTC

Post by smackfu » Fri, Oct 11, 2013, 1:29 PM UTC

Osmium wrote: post #73

smackfu wrote: post #52

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Sounds awesome! I'll put in a bid, then hire the cheapest programmers I can to make it look like I did some work, then of course I'll lose the competition and still get paid for 3 months. Repeat and you have a viable business. And you never need to actually support software after the 3 months is up.

Well, you wouldn't let anyone enter the process: there'd still have to be an initial filter. After that, presumably promise of much much higher future profits for the full contract and prestige (i.e. the free advertising that would come from having done it) would be sufficient. But it was just an idea anyway.