The article explored issues contributing to the disastrous launch of Maryland’s health insurance exchange website, which experienced major technical problems immediately after opening in October. Prior to the launch, the state and the Obama administration touted Maryland’s health care reform rollout efforts as a national model. But for weeks after the launch, officials refused to explain what went wrong and claiming the problems were unexpected but fixable, so the reporters used public records and interviews — with exchange leaders, contractors, users, insurers and state officials — to show that months of infighting between the main contractor and subcontractor hurt the project and slowed repairs, and officials’ oversight appeared to be seriously ineffectual.
