In a recent New York Times article, it was reported that the new HealthCare.gov website has been receiving much criticism. Management consultants and contractors warned that the website could have problems and sure enough they were correct. The website is falling behind and this can’t possibly bode well with users. In a report by McKinsey & Company prepared in late March it was noted that, “management indecision and a lack of transparency and alignment on critical issues were threatening progress, despite the tight deadline.” The websites focused too heavily on outside work and third parties that internally a lack of consistency was established all around.
Going into building the website, it was known that there would inherently be problems, but no one could foresee issues of this magnitude.
“As of mid-November, more than 50,000 people had selected an insurance plan — up from 27,000 in the entire month of October, people working on the project said.” These numbers might sounds like progress, but these are only a fraction of what people expected at this time. It is expected that many people could be calling in instead of using the website based on their insurance situations. Others feel that more people are simply staying away from the website because it isn’t helpful and is more of a burden to use. They would rather be one on one with a representative.
Customers could also be deterred from giving out information because they feel the website isn’t secure. According to Patti Unruh, a spokeswoman for the health department’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, “When consumers fill out their online marketplace applications, they can trust that the information that they are providing is protected by stringent security standards. Security testing happens on an ongoing basis using industry best practices to appropriately safeguard consumers’ personal information.”
Hopefully the website gets on track, otherwise a lot of people will be unhappy and needs will be unmet.