HHS on July 1 is scheduled to launch HealthCare.gov, a website designed to provide customers with information about health insurance plans, Politico reports.
The portal will serve as the "most tangible link" to the new health reform law for many U.S. residents, according to Politico. The reform law stipulates that the site must be launched by July 1.
HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park and a team of more than 20 HHS staffers are working to compile information from dozens of private insurers and public insurance programs. The portal will allow users to sort the data based on their own situations. HHS intends to add price estimates for different health plans to the site on Oct. 1.
HHS conducted market research to determine what consumers seek from an online insurance portal.
According to Park, HHS learned that consumers "have a huge appetite for simplicity and hate jargon."
HHS officials said the site will avoid insurance industry language and will be easily navigable by users. In addition, each site page will contain a button soliciting feedback from users about the site.
Park said one challenge has been balancing concerns from insurers who have resisted disclosing some plan information with calls from consumer advocates who want a comprehensive website (Kliff, Politico, 6/22).