I have had many friends contact me in the past few weeks about that mess of a website, healthcare.gov - yes, it is frustrating. Yes, they botched the roll-out and yes I am extremely disappointed. There is no way I can defend this.
So I have to at least share a story covered in an NPR broadcast a few days ago when I was out in Seattle. Apparently, 3 guys from Silicon Valley have created a super-easy to use website called Heath Sherpa that will tell you what insurance plans you are eligible for based on your income and location. It's extremely fast and user-friendly. One of its creators, Ning Liang, said on NPR that the goal was to have visitors get an "answer" in 5 seconds or less of visiting the homepage.
While the site does not have the ability to verify income or allow visitors to actually purchase plans, it is at least a starting point for those in the individual market to understand what plans may be available for them (and their costs) once the government site is working. Link here: http://www.thehealthsherpa.com/
