IF A BUSINESS DID THIS, WE’D BE HEARING ABOUT THE EVILS OF CAPITALISM: Exclusive: D.C. Exchange Website Misled Customers About Individual Mandate.

Last year, in response to Congress repealing the Obamacare individual mandate penalty beginning this January, the D.C. Council established its own requirement for District residents to maintain health coverage. If D.C. leaders wished to replicate Obamacare on the local level, they have succeeded beyond their wildest expectations—right down to the non-functioning website.

For nearly six months—including the first month of open enrollment—the District failed to inform visitors to its online insurance exchange about the new coverage requirement. When District officials finally discovered their webpage fail, what did they do to admit their fault, and tell the public? Nothing.

When Congress took steps to try and defund the D.C. insurance mandate last summer, District officials complained, calling it an intrusion on their authority. But after having bungled their website and failed to tell the public about the mix-up, how can they now claim competence to manage their own affairs?

Well, it’s the District, so . . . . And note that if a business had done this, it would be facing all sorts of liability.