The Obama administration knew as early as August that the small-business portal on healthcare.gov would not be ready by the Oct. 1 launch, but delayed admitting those problems until Nov. 27, according to documents released by House Republicans on Friday.
In one colorful email exchange in mid-August, Henry Chao, the administration official charged with the development of the online insurance marketplaces, expresses frustration with delays from the private contractor working on the website.