HealthSherpa Web site

Does navigating your government-created health exchange web site give you a headache?

Here’s a quick online tool to find the health care offerings in your area, including a tool to quickly estimate subsidies:

http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/

This is a free tool created  using public databases. No login required — all information can be quickly entered on the home page, with results appearing as the the data is entered.

(Created as a public service by three young and capable San Francisco-based computer technicians – see http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/about to learn more about them)

 

Seven ways to buy individual insurance in 2014

It is now the end of the second week after the launching of the ACA exchanges, and it seems that there is still a lot of confusion.  Some state exchanges seem to have ironed out the glitches in their system, but other states and the federally-run Healthcare.gov site still have confusing and crash-prone sites.  So I thought I would list the various ways that an individual can shop for and buy insurance right now.

1) On the appropriate exchange web site for your state:  As noted, these web sites are buggy and not always that easy to navigate. However, some are working well, and many people have already successfully signed up for their new insurance under Obamacare.

2) By submitting a paper application:  Yes, it is possible to sign up for insurance without a computer.  However, the process for getting and submitting a paper application may vary depending on where you live.  In California, you can download the paper application from the Covered California web site and send it in by regular mail. The mailing address is printed on page 2 of the form.