I admit I have not paid too much attention to the implementation of Obamacare.  I was building and growing CMAP, selling the company to oneZero, raising three kids, yada, yada, yada…..

But I have started to pay attention now that the healthcare exchanges have opened for business.  I have a basic understanding and am learning more each day.  The launch of the exchanges has been a technology nightmare with some reports stating that the insurance companies are receiving just 1% of the applications that are started online via the exchanges.  I am sure there are issues with the technology rollout.  There usually is.  But it is just bad management to roll-out such a massive offering without having better testing.  Any project of this scale with have issues, but it should have been done in a limited fashion to start, learn, and resolve the issues.

The real purpose of this post is that I am an “exchange” guy.  Been working on the transactional side of the financial services industry for a long time now.  Exchange traded assets, OTC-traded assets, clearing, margin, credit, platforms, connectivity.  So when I hear the term, “healthcare exchange”, I get interested.

I have a lot to learn about the rules of the exchanges.  And I am sure I will be aghast at some of the rules and policies that will be implemented by the exchange managers.  I will have to remind myself that any government run entity is not seeking max efficiency, but that there are other considerations involved.  However, at some point the operators will get involved.  You know, the private concerns that search for opportunity.  Who discover what users want, cobble together the resources to have a try at making it happen, recruit others to join the cause, launch a product or service, then evangelicalicise the concept to all who will listen.

That is when “healthcare exchanges” will start to work more efficiently and really deliver all that they are capable of delivering.