Obama Calls in Tech 'Surge' for Sickly Health Site

Noting that "the experience on HealthCare.gov has been frustrating for many Americans," the Obama administration is bringing in the "best and the brightest" from both the public and private spheres to shore up the troubled marketplace site, Health and Human Services officials say in a blog post. "We’re kind of thinking of it as a tech 'surge,'" an insider tells Politico. The team is rolling out "new code that includes bug fixes," "aggressively" monitoring the site's issues, and "deploying fixes to the site during off-peak hours on a regular basis."

The scramble comes as griping about the website's issues reaches a fever pitch: Ted Cruz yesterday joined those calling for Kathleen Sebelius' resignation, House Republicans will hold hearings this week, and President Obama himself will address the issues, which Reuters says he considers "unacceptable," in an appearance today. Just who is on the new team, however, remains unclear, the Washington Post reports, and high traffic doesn't appear to be the site's only problem: It may also offer wrong information on relevant tax credits and who's eligible for Medicaid. Outside tech experts tell USA Today that the site may be running 10-year-old technology, and may ultimately require a "fundamental re-architecture." (More President Obama stories.)