Obamacare, the DMV, and complex systems, part 2 (or Obamacare = vaporware)

As a followup to my post from yesterday, I post what WSJ reported this morning:

The next big test is implementation of the exchanges, where people can shop for coverage on Oct. 1.
...
Last month, the Government Accountability Office said "several key tasks" for building the exchanges were still incomplete, which experts said were needed to finish computer systems.

"From a technology perspective there are too many complex things that need to be completed and there's not enough time," said Dan Schuyler, a director at the consulting firm Leavitt Partners and a former director of technology for Utah's health insurance exchange.

The exchanges have been compared with travel websites, which allow consumers to compare prices and buy tickets.

But health sites have a bigger task. They must determine whether buyers are eligible to participate and whether they qualify for a government subsidy.

The sites also must interact with dozens of insurance companies that are expected to offer plans through the exchanges—as well as connect with the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to certify U.S. citizenship or legal residency.

Joanne Peters, of the Department of Health and Human Services, said the department was "on track" to open the exchanges as scheduled.

Compare this with the rosy picture painted by President Obama in his "technology" speech last week:

We recently re-launched an upgraded, easier HealthCare.gov. Beginning October 1st, Americans will be able to log on and comparison shop an array of private health insurance plans, side-by-side -- just like you go online and compare the best deal on cars or the best deal on computers. Because you’ll finally be part of a new pool with millions of other Americans, insurers will actually want to compete for your business. And we’ve worked really hard to make these marketplaces user-friendly. So, for example, when the prototype of an application to join the marketplace came in at 21 pages, we rejected it. We said let’s do better. It’s now three pages long. And, by the way, that’s a lot shorter than the application you have to fill out for private insurance currently.

I smell vaporware. Obama sounds to me like the CEO of a software company who knows nothing about the software development process, but has promised his customers a definite release date; he is going to end up with a lot of egg on his face when his engineering managers come to him and tell him that it's simply not possible to meet the goal.