Four health information technology contractors working on the online health insurance marketplaces that will be run by the federal government testified Sept. 10 at a congressional hearing that their systems will be ready by the time open enrollment begins Oct. 1 under the Affordable Care Act.

Testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee came from executives with CGI Federal Inc., Serco Inc., Quality Software Services Inc., and Equifax Workforce Solutions, who described the work their companies were doing to build the federally-facilitated marketplaces, also known as exchanges.

But Brett Graham, a partner and managing director of consulting firm Leavitt Partners LLC, told the subcommittee that none of the state-based marketplaces are "completely ready," and "most, if not all of the exchanges will experience a rocky enrollment period." That will affect consumers, he said. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia are creating their own marketplaces, with Utah setting up only a state-based Small Business Health Options Program marketplace.