It's been the subject of much debate and provided a ton of fodder for late light talk show hosts and skit comedy shows over the past few weeks. Yet, the problems with the U.S. government's Healthcare.gov website continue with load load times, lost sign-up information and more becoming the norm rather than the exception.
President Barack Obama stated last week that the government was conducting a "tech surge" to fix the problems with the site but did not offer specifics, including which companies were assisting with this effort. The U.S. House of Representative's Oversight Committee sent out a number of letters to technology companies to ask if they were a part of the "tech surge."
According to The Hill, Microsoft sent letters back to the committee late last week stating that the company had in fact "offered to provide technical expertise and assistance" with Healthcare.gov. It added that the company has had "limited contact" with the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services and unnamed private contractors on the issue. However, the letter also stated, "The best of our knowledge, no Microsoft employee has provided such services." The letter did not say if the White House or the HHS had accepted or refused Microsoft's assistance.
In the meantime, some news reports have claimed that all of the issues with the website likely won't be fixed until sometime in the end of November. Saturday Night Live's recent skit on Healthcare.gov, seen above, pretty much sums up how many people feel about the government's handling of this tech problem.
Source: The Hill | Image via Healthcare.gov
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