HealthCare.gov to undergo “upgrades” for 2016 season

The federal health insurance exchange is receiving a series of upgrades, including a window-shopping feature, that may save brokers time and money.

Insurance News

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Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment periods, health insurance brokers know to count on long hours and little sleep from November through March. New features being added to federal exchange site HealthCare.gov this year, however, that are hoped to alleviate some of the glut.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday that certain “upgrades” are being made to the site, including a major redesign of HealthCare.gov’s “window-shopping feature” – a popular part of the website that allows consumers to browse for subsidized policies.

According to a CMS slide presentation obtained by the Associated Press, consumers will be able to enter their doctors, hospitals and medications as they browse online for corresponding coverage They will also be able to see whether those doctors, hospitals and medications are covered when they compare plans.

Previously, finding this information and comparing plans required information input into a variety of screens and digging through plan details. Many consumers – and indeed brokers – found the process overwhelming.

The upgraded HealthCare.gov will also feature a tool that gives consumers a rough estimate of expected total costs, taking into account premiums, cost-sharing services like office visits and the deductible. Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers’ Checkbook, says this new feature will help consumers look at costs outside of simply the plan’s premium.

“It’s very difficult for people to choose the plan that would be best for them if they go only on what HealthCare.gov has given them up to now,” Krughoff told the AP. “These are things that they should be doing.”

The National Health Council, a trade group of patient organizations and healthcare companies, welcomed the upgrade as “long overdue.”

“It seems like they are trying to make it more like the intended goal of the website – an Expedia.com or Kayak.com of healthcare shopping,” Eric Gascho, vice president of the NHC, told US News.

Testing on the new website features began last week, including testing on smartphones and tablets, with data already available from major insurers.

The site functions as the marketplace for consumers in 37 states, and has helped roughly 10 million people sign up for subsidized private coverage.

The 2016 open enrollment season is slated to begin November 1.
 

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