Dive Brief:
- HealthCare.gov is slated for changes as the Affordable Care Act’s third open enrollment begins Nov. 1, aiming to simplify the shopping experience for new and returning users.
- Decision support tools will help consumers identify plans that include their preferred doctors and hospitals, and help them estimate their costs for each plan.
- Officials expect to see a lot of consumers shopping for new plans as a result of premium increases set to occur in 2016.
Dive Insight:
The push to improve the HealthCare.gov experience is very much driven by the administration’s goal of attracting the estimated 10.5 million people that remain uninsured but eligible for marketplace coverage.
The new support tools will allow users to see which plans cover their preferred providers and compare their estimated out-of-pocket and total costs under multiple plans. To arrive at those estimates, the site will ask users about their expected use of medical care in 2016 and their age, sex, income, and ZIP code as well as factor in subsidies.