Independent of the politics of the new Affordable Care Act, the development of software systems implementing the law sets a new precedent in important case studies for IT. Here’s a fascinating quote from the New York Times on the importance of these systems to the success of the new policy:
As a small coterie of grim-faced advisers shuffled into the Oval Office on the evening of Oct. 15, President Obama’s chief domestic accomplishment was falling apart 24 miles away, at a bustling high-tech data center in suburban Virginia…For 90 excruciating minutes, a furious and frustrated president peppered his team with questions, drilling into the arcane minutiae of web design as he struggled to understand the scope of a crisis that suddenly threatened his presidency…Out of that tense Oval Office meeting grew a frantic effort aimed at rescuing not only the insurance portal and Mr. Obama’s credibility, but also the Democratic philosophy that an activist government can solve big, complex social problems.” Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Michael D. Shear in The New York Times.
This is a compelling example of the strategic importance of IT. These systems are a major component of the new policy, and the success of the policy is absolutely linked to the success of the technology.
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