Nearly half a billion dollars in federal money has been spent
developing four state Obamacare exchanges that are now in shambles —
and the final price tag for salvaging them may go sharply
higher.
Each of the states — Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and
Maryland — embraced Obamacare, and each underperformed. All have
come under scathing criticism and now face months of uncertainty as
they rush to rebuild their systems or transition to the federal
exchange.
The federal government is caught between writing still more
exorbitant checks to give them a second chance at creating viable
exchanges of their own or, for a lesser although not inexpensive sum,
adding still more states to HealthCare.gov. The federal system is
already serving 36 states, far more than originally anticipated.
As for the contractors involved, which have borne most of the
blame for the exchange debacles, a few continue to insist that fixes
are possible. Others are braced for possible legal action or waiting
to hear if now-tainted contracts will be terminated.
The $474
million spent by these four states includes the cost that officials
have publicly detailed to date. It climbs further if states like
Minnesota and Hawaii, which have suffered similarly dysfunctional
exchanges, are added.
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