The funny thing is the Mass exchange worked fine when it was under Romneycare, the second they switched it over to comply with Obamacare it fell apart.

Via Boston Herald:

The total cost to implement Obamacare in Massachusetts surpassed a half-billion dollars yesterday, as the Health Connector board agreed to seek an additional $121 million in federal funds to try to rescue the money-hemorrhaging health exchange.

“This is now Massachusetts’ Big Dig I.T. project,” said Joshua Archambault, a health care expert at the Pioneer Institute. “The decision was completely irresponsible to taxpayers, with very little uncertainty we’re going to get the end result that we want.”

The board approved a two-track plan yesterday — invoking an emergency provision to sidestep state procurement laws — to award a no-bid contract to Minnesota-based Optum. The company will, in turn, subcontract with hCentive — which it holds a 24 percent stake in, as the Herald first reported yesterday.

Connector officials insisted the exchange is so broken they had no choice.

“The reality is, this is it,” said Sarah Iselin, the state’s Obamacare czar. “When we look at what we can reasonably do for the fall, this is it. I wish we had more choices, but we don’t. We’re making the best of a really lousy situation.”

Federal taxpayers will be asked to shell out the cost of pursuing a “dual track” of simultaneously implementing software to build a new state exchange and joining the federal Healthcare.gov as a fallback plan.

Only board member George Gonser Jr. voted no, arguing it could make insurance more expensive.

“We all know there’s an incredible impact on the carriers, and … these costs trickle down to users and subscribers and small businesses,” he said.