There are a lot of issues with a big government and a Big Government mentality, and one of the biggest problems is a sense of overconfidence — and despite what many might think, the feeling is bipartisan. It is like the bureaucrats and politicians look at the young kids in hoodies, coding apps, programs, and platforms that change our lives and think to themselves, “Hey, those guys don’t know anything that I don’t. I can do that. Hold my beer.” But, at the same time they still aren’t quite sure what their password to Netflix is or why Instagram is different than MySpace.
But, since they aren’t risking their own money, there isn’t any real risk for them.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently created a task order in order to improve their website to sign people up for Medicare Advantage plans. This was found out through a FOIA request, otherwise it seems the administration was trying to keep it quiet. The whole idea of the order is wrong, but at least one chart in the order will make any limited government supporter’s hair stand on end. Total price? They don’t know. Amount funded? They don’t know and haven’t asked. How long is it going to take, and how much is it going to cost each year? Well, they don’t know that either.
We all remember very well how the launch of healthcare.gov went.
That failed website is a good place to start for why this order is a bad idea. As someone that runs my own business, I was forced onto the Obamacare exchange once my individual plan was taken away from me. Since then, I have had to use the failed horror show of a website that is healthcare.gov. The site is so bad, that even now, years after the rollout, bugs still exist that make enrollment hard, and even questionable as to whether or not you are enrolled. Every time you think that you might want to change plans or shop, it seems to force you to fill out a whole new application. Even after you have applied for a plan you keep receiving warnings to apply, making it seem like you didn’t sign up.
It still looks like I have multiple wives on the site; I only have one.
Even if the website worked, the price to get it there wasn’t worth it. The original budget for the first company hired to build the site was just shy of $94 million. When that company failed, the project costs quickly ballooned to $1.7 billion! That is more than 18 times the first amount budgeted, and again the site is basically still broken. But to sign up for an individual plan, healthcare.gov is still the site that most people use.
Given the ongoing issues with healthcare.gov, it isn’t likely that a government effort to sign people up for Medicare Advantage Plans is going to be different. If politicians would just admit that, it would be okay. There are other ways to accomplish the same goal, and they are cheaper for taxpayers and more effective.
The task order should be terminated, or at least changed to focus more on education. A new website that is easy to navigate and use is nice, but if it focuses on education then it is likely to be much more budget friendly as well as effective. When it comes to enrollment, it should point toward private sector resources to sign people up instead of attempting to mimic the private sector’s already robust e-commerce platforms. The government shouldn’t throw more money at a project that others are already performing, that don’t cost taxpayer money, and most importantly function properly — a qualifier that the government website is never likely to be described as.
When I was young professional, I didn’t think that the government had a role at all. As I have grown older and wiser, I am pretty much in the same spot. Everything that government touches seems to take more time, cost more money, and open up more avenues for cronyism. However, I know now that not everyone feels the same way and that at least some of those people have the best possible intentions for the country in mind. So, when it comes to running a program like Medicare, we should work together to make sure that it runs in the best way possible. Then they can try to help people their way, and limited government supporters can really get the job done.
Charles Sauer (@CharlesSauer) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is president of the Market Institute and previously worked on Capitol Hill, for a governor, and for an academic think tank.
