Top 10 Upsides To Healthcare.gov Debacle

The October 1, 2013, launch of Healthcare.gov will go down as one of the biggest IT debacles in US history, as the malfunctioning site frustrated millions of Americans seeking to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of Barack Obama's presidency. Six months later, even with President Obama claiming success now that more than 7.5 million people have managed to sign up for private health insurance under the new law, the specter of the Healthcare.gov misfire looms large heading into November's midterm elections, especially with the resignation last week of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. 

Ah, but every cloud has a silver lining, no? The glass isn't half empty but half full? When life hands you lemons you make lemonade?

Maybe not. But with the benefit of six months of hindsight, we still choose to see the bright side of the botched Healthcare.gov rollout. And so we bring you:

The Top 10 Positive Outcomes Of The Healthcare.gov Debacle:

10. Provided huge monetary windfall for identity thieves, thereby increasing domestic car sales.

9. Set a bar that ensures relative success of all future federal government IT projects.

8. Doctor shortages lead to nostalgic use of leeches.

7. New, cool term "tech surge" replaced old, negative term "IT cluster#@&#."

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

6. By discouraging use of the healthcare system, inheritance tax revenue increased.

5. Boosted self-esteem of otherwise under-achieving hackers.

4. Made Bush Administration's Hurricane Katrina response appear competent by comparison.

3. Recent overuse has removed stigma from the term "computer glitch."

2. During her tenure, Kathleen Sebelius could not simultaneously serve as Secretary of Defense.

1. Made taxpayers appreciative of service levels at the local DMV.

Can you think of other upsides to Healthcare.gov's stumble? Leave a comment below.

Download Healthcare IT In The Obamacare Era, the InformationWeek Healthcare digital issue on changes driven by regulation. Modern technology created the opportunity to restructure the healthcare industry around accountable care organizations, but ACOs also put new demands on IT.