Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: December 27, 2013

Vanity Fair – Inside the Company That Built Healthcare.gov

Accounting for Obamacare: Inside the Company That Built Healthcare.gov b Bethany McLean“…the selection of CGI, which has had a long relationship with the U.S. government through the companies it has acquired—among other projects, CGI also ran recovery.gov, the Website for all data related to the Recovery Act—doesn’t seem so odd. Back in 2007, CGI was one of 16 companies given an umbrella contract to do unspecified systems work for CMS. These so-called indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, or ID/IQ, contracts exist throughout the federal government. Companies compete to be on the list, and then when a specific task arises, they compete again to be awarded that task; but because the list of competitors is predetermined, the process is shorter. When the Obama administration selected a main contractor for healthcare.gov, they decided to use the prequalified contractors, rather than starting afresh, in order to save time, according to Bloomberg. CGI was chosen as the lead contractor for the Website over three other bidders: IBM, QSSI, and Computer Sciences Corporation. According to congressional testimony, CGI stands to be paid $292 million for its work on healthcare.gov….”

Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2010

National Cancer Institute:  Lung cancer death rates continue to fall, helping drive decrease in overall cancer death rates; Annual Report to the Nation includes special feature highlighting the contribution of other diseases on survival of patients. “The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, covering the period 1975–2010, showed death rates for… Continue Reading

Judge Grants Motion to Dismiss in NSA Surveillance Case

ACLU: “A federal court issued an opinion and order in ACLU v. Clapper [American Civil Liberties Union v. Clapper, 13-cv-03994, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan)], the ACLU’s challenge to the constitutionality of the NSA’s mass call-tracking program, ruling that the government’s bulk collection of phone records is lawful under Section 215 of the Patriot Act and under… Continue Reading

New Report: The Economic Benefits of Extending Unemployment Insurance

Jason Furman is Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers: “The United States economy continues to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and while substantial progress has been made, more work remains to boost economic growth and speed job creation. Despite ten consecutive quarters of GDP growth and 7.8 million private sector… Continue Reading

Year in Review Economic Briefing – Council of Economic Advisers

Year in Review Economic Briefing, Council of Economic Advisers. December 19, 2013. “The economy is finishing 2013 in a stronger place than where it began the year, though more work remains to grow the economy, create jobs, and strengthen the middle class. This is especially notable given the general fiscal environment, including the onset of the… Continue Reading