The Obama administration’s online health insurance marketplace rollout has been a train wreck. That’s very obvious; even the President acknowledges it. It’s a disgrace, and heads should roll. I have an idea or two for what might help, but we know already to discount some of the criticism, specifically what comes from the radical Republican Tea Party naysayers.

After forcing a government shutdown and pushing the economy to the brink with their dangerous debt acrobatics — all in a failed effort to defund the health insurance law in defiance of the majority of the American people — they are now focusing on telling us how awful the rollout is. Well, yes, it is. No question about it. But their words are appallingly hypocritical since they have no desire to improve the system for the benefit of millions, only to cross their fingers and hope it collapses. So here’s a headline for you: it isn’t going to disappear, no matter how much Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachman, Louis Gohmert, Ted Yoho (what a wonderfully goofy name!) and their extreme right-wingers might wish.

Getting it fixed right is the urgent need now, even before assigning blame for the mess it’s in. And the administration has just assigned a “technology overseer” named Jeffrey Zients to be the guy to accept the challenge of repairing the damage. He’s got a reputation as a good crisis manager, and he’ll need to call on his experience to accomplish this. The President already is sending in a team of technology reinforcements. That’s all good, if belated.

And here’s what else might help. There are some states — especially California and Connecticut — which have spent nearly two years developing and perfecting their own online health insurance websites. And guess what? They are working splendidly. Thousands of people are being signed up with their options clearly spelled out. So why doesn’t someone — or why didn’t someone — look at those states as a model before trying to reinvent the wheel at the federal level? I doubt it’s too late to do so now.

And some lawmakers are suggesting the President extend the sign-up period to compensate for the lengthy delays in getting a workable website running efficiently. That also seems a good idea to me. Let’s make it as easy as possible for consumers to see what’s there and to get enrolled. Stretching the sign-up period can only help.

In fact, there are other things that ought to be done. One of the most important is to undertake a serious, major publicity effort to let people know about the health care law and why they need to sign up. There are so many positives that most of us don’t know anything about because the rollout has been such a disaster. Maybe that’s why there’s been so little good PR to go with it. If so, now is the time to start a well-funded PR program that covers television, print and social media. And President Obama needs to use his bully pulpit to full advantage.

Why these things haven’t happened is a question no one has yet answered. We need to find out why and take appropriate action. The Affordable Care Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation to pass in generations. It is far too important to screw around with, and far too important to listen to the Tea Party voices.