Foundering Exchanges

As noted in our sidebar, the new ObamaTax Exchanges are due to go online in about 10 months. That is, if all goes well. But how likely is that?

You be the judge:

"Only 15 states have told the federal government they plan to operate health insurance exchanges under [ObamaCare], leaving Washington with the daunting task of creating online marketplaces for two-thirds of the country."

What's so amusing about this is that I have some pretty good second-hand knowledge of how this will likely turn out. My better half is a highly successful Professional IT Project Manager. When I shared with her how and when this whole Federal effort was supposed to play out, she shook her head in disgust. You see, she's worked on projects of this nature many, many times, and understands what's necessary to implement them.

I was also discussing this remarkable (unprecedented?) effort with co-blogger Mike, who told me of a seminar he'd attended, years ago, that included both executives and IT-types. At one point, Mike told me, the "suits" asked "why cant you just build what we want?"

To which the IT guys replied: "because you don't ever TELL us what you want!"

And this was in the profit- and success-driven private sector.

Rotsa ruck with this in the not-so-driven gummint one.

[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]