“CMS undertook the development of HealthCare.gov and its related systems without effective planning or oversight practices,” reads the report, and HealthCare.gov was launched before CMS officials verified the site had met performance requirements.
CMS was under pressure to have the healthcare website up and running on time, which led to the use of outside contractors. The GAO report revealed there was no “quality assurance surveillance plan” in place to monitor the work of outside contractors, and CMS failed to closely monitor the development of the website.
The report also found that outside contractors and CMS officials did not have a good understanding of what it would take for the website to function properly, which led to cost increases.
There was also confusion about who had the authority to authorize outside contractors to repair the website, and the GAO is calling on CMS to issue guidance on who can authorize extra funding.
The GAO is also asking CMS to review remaining glitches with HeatlhCare.gov and to evaluate the increasing costs associated with repairing the site. As of March 2014, CMS reported obligating $840 million for the development of Healthcare.gov and its supporting systems.
More articles on HealthCare.gov:
Undercover agents got subsidized insurance using fake IDs
4 Challenges That Could Hinder PPACA Success
Millennials Stumped by HealthCare.gov: 6 Suggestions to Improve the Site
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