Dive Brief:
- HealthCare.gov began to pilot a beta feature to allow consumers to search plans by their preferred provider or health facility.
- Selected at random, about one in four visitors will experience the feature which the agency stated will allow it to examine the consumer experience and analyze the quality of data based on consumer feedback.
- Based on the feedback, CMS may or may not finalize the feature. In the coming weeks, a prescription drug check feature will be piloted to allow consumers to search whether a plan covers their prescription drugs.
Dive Insight:
If an insurance company has not provided validated data, consumers will be alerted when they search for a provider that there is “no data from insurance company.” CMS will continue to provide technical assistance to insurance companies that have not yet provided access to their data and will update HealthCare.gov on a daily basis.
"The future for CMS is to create an open-source environment that drives innovation for the consumer. By requiring data transparency from health plans and providers and by releasing the information in a machine readable format, we are using consumer demand to accelerate that change," said CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt. "This fits in with our strategy and should make experiences like Marketplace Open Enrollment better for consumers."