HealthCare.gov relaunches, allows users to 'window shop' for insurance

The Obama administration rolled out its newly updated health insurance website on Sunday night, allowing consumers to shop for insurance plans before open enrollment kicks off on Nov. 15.

At the same time, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimated on Monday that between 9 and 9.9 million people would enroll in health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) exchanges in 2015, a significant drop from the Congressional Budget Office’s previous estimate of 13 million enrollees.

The revamped HealthCare.gov site, where residents of the 36 states whose health insurance marketplaces are run by the federal government, can sign up for coverage for 2015, has a new feature allowing them to “window shop” for various plans without creating an account first.

By answering a few questions and entering their zip codes, shoppers can determine how much plans in their area might cost and how much of a subsidy the government would provide. Users can even sort plans by cost of premiums or deductibles. The administration hopes the new web tool will smooth out the enrollment process after last year’s glitch-heavy rollout.

Users do have to create an account in order to actually sign up for plans, and those who enrolled in coverage in 2014 will be auto-enrolled for 2015 coverage, unless they log on to change their plans.

"We are strongly encouraging our customers to return to HealthCare.gov ... Shop and compare. The majority will be able to save money," Kevin Counihan, chief executive officer of the federal health insurance marketplace, told reporters on Sunday.

The October 2013 launch of Healthcare.gov, part of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, was bumpy, filled with repeated technical problems that delayed many users from browsing for and enrolling in the private health insurance plans offered on the federal marketplace.

The states that opted to run their own insurance marketplaces, which operated separately from Healthcare.gov, tended to fare better, having received funding appropriated by the health care law for ample advertising of their statewide exchanges and plentiful brokers to help users sign up.

Still, it was months before the reports of across-the-board delays and glitches subsided. In total, the administration said that about 7 million people enrolled through the insurance exchanges for 2014.

Despite HHS’ announcement on Monday that an estimated 9 million to 9.9 million people would enroll for coverage in 2015 — 3 to 4 million less than had previously been forecasted — department secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell maintained that the government was “confident we will have successful enrollment.”

She added that there had been a 25 percent increase in the number of plans available for consumers, and that the online application at HealthCare.gov had been reduced to 16 screens from the previous 76 screens required to enroll.

"Things are simpler, faster and more intuitive," she said.

The Affordable Care Act faces hurdles beyond HealthCare.gov’s technical glitches in the form of ideological opposition. The Republican Party, which has launched continuous efforts to dismantle the law, won control of the U.S. Senate in the midterm elections, contributing to fears that Republican control of the next Congress could further chip away at Medicaid expansion or federal subsidies.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a challenge to the law that could limit the federal subsidies provided to millions of low- and middle-income people to help them cover the costs of their premiums.

On average, those who qualify for federal subsidies save 76 percent on the cost of premiums, bringing the average monthly payment to just $82, according to HHS. This allows millions of people who don’t receive insurance through their workplaces to purchase individual and family coverage at a reduced cost.

But HHS' Burwell insisted on Monday that a Republican majority would not dismantle the exchanges. “I think the most important thing for consumers to know is nothing has changed,” she said.

Jessica McCarron, spokesperson for Enroll America, a non-profit organization that aims to help Americans enroll in and retain health insurance coverage, told Al Jazeera that the group would be working to educate consumers about signing up or renewing their coverage starting on Nov. 15.

“The bottom line is that no matter what happens in Washington, people still need and want access to affordable, quality healthcare,” she said. “We've found that consumers are more interested in the facts about how the law affects them rather than political talking points, but still too many don't have the information they need about the options available to them, like that financial help is available through the marketplace.”

Tony Carrk, vice president for policy and research at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, added that while the ACA isn’t perfect, efforts to have it dismantled wouldn’t deter consumers.

“There has been a constant conservative plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act since day one,” said Carrk. “That doesn’t stop from the fact that the law is working, it’s going to continue to work, and come this Saturday, people are going to be able to go shop on the insurance marketplaces and pick plans that work for them.”

“I think many people are tired of fighting over this law, they want it to work and it would be great if the new Senate majority would help to make the law work,” he added.