House Lawmakers To Question Obamacare Website Contractors

Website rollout didn't go that well

House lawmakers are set to grill the contractors who developed the glitch-plagued Affordable Care Act website during a hearing Thursday, just after the Obama administration said Wednesday that people who obtain health insurance by March 31 would not face tax penalties for being uninsured.

According to an earlier official interpretation of the ACA, Americans would have needed to sign up by Feb. 15 to avoid penalties, according to The New York Times. Essentially, the administration is extending the February deadline by six weeks so that it coincides with the end of the open enrollment period for health insurance.

According to the The Washington Post, administration officials said the extension is not a result of technical problems with the healthcare.gov site.