5 changes that will make the Covered California (Calheers.ca,gov) site better instantly

I spent about 30 minutes today to try and sign up for Covered California. Sort of a eat my own dogfood type of effort. Immediately I noticed some really big things that will turn even the most eager users off. I am writing this post so that maybe they will pay attention and make some changes. 

The overarching message here is: "Keep the user in mind". 

To set the stage, I'm a married man in my mid-30s who currently has health insurance through Kaiser Permanente. I work in the technology sector.

I tried about 12 times using the chrome browser to get the login page to load and each time I was greeted with this message: 

Clicking on the link did nothing.

After 12 attempts I switched over to Internet Explorer 10 and was finally able to sign up and login. 

The sign up process was relatively simple with the exception of the fact that it asked me for my SSN without ensuring me that it would stay safe in their hands. I was able to skip this field during the signup process so that was good.

The username has to be 8 characters long which is in my opinion a point of friction and will cause the form to produce and error for 1/2 the people who try to sign up. Why not do a quick edit check with Javascript and let the person know right away before they have to submit the form and see the error? 

Anyway, I then tried to login and got a 404 not found page. I refreshed 2 times and got the login screen which asked me for 5 answers to secret question. As soon as I selected those, it crashed and made me login again. That I will forgive because it is a new site and they're still working out the bugs. But the secret question thing .... it should be optional IMO. 

Then I tried to actually Apply for a plan. That's when things got really ugly. I cannot proceed in this form without providing them with my SSN and Naturalization documentation. WHAT?!! Why do you need these just to show me what plans I qualify for and how much they will be? Why at this stage? And again, I don't feel safe entering my SSN in your 404-Not-Found website just yet, so unless you're gonna make me feel safe with my information with a robust website, then don't ask me this stuff until I'm ready to commit. I can't even navigate directly to www.calheers.ca.gov ... What is v.calheers.ca.gov? You have to know that this is confusing your users. You have to know that I may not be interested in the plans once I see them, so having given you a bunch of information during the shopping stage is just going to drive users away. I would love to see the bounce rates of this page. Let me guess, 100%. 

And really, what is with all the different branding? Are you trying to make me suspicious of you? There is healthcare.gov, that takes me to coveredca.com, that takes me to v.calheers.ca.gov which has the title AHBX portal. How is that user friendly?

But don't worry, CoveredCA. I'm not all negative feedback. I actually have some very simple solutions to make this easier for you:

1) Pick a web domain and stick with it. CoveredCa.com makes sense since people have been hearing it.

2) Allow the user to enter non-personal information and arrive at a quote with details. Then if and only if he chooses to select the plan, make him verify all you want.

3) At least try to have the styling of your site match Healthcare.gov in some meaningful way. Users like continuity, it builds trust.

4) If you want me to enter my SSN and DOB and other identity information ensure me that it's going to be safe somehow. 

5) This initiative already has enough barriers, if I am having trouble using the system, you can be sure that my mother is definitely going to have issues. Things like browser compatibility, Http routing errors, general performance, and post submit error checking are only going to add friction to the process. As it stands right now, I cannot imagine you'll have many people complete the application process, much less sign up for coverage. Glad to help. 

ObamaCare (ACA) for Dummies - Understand it all in 4 minutes

I've been seeing a lot of posts on my social network about the ACA (Accountable Care Act) also known as ObamaCare and it seems to me that nearly all of us are to some degree confused what it means. So I figured why not post some of the major highlights so that you understand them better. Much of what you will read in this post was copied and pasted from Healthcare.gov. So here goes:

What is a Marketplace?

The Marketplace is a new way to find health coverage. It can help if you don’t have coverage now or if you have it but want to look at other options.

Insurance plans in the Marketplace are offered by private companies. They cover the same core set of benefits called essential health benefits. No plan can turn you away or charge you more because you have an illness or medical condition. They must cover treatments for these conditions. Plans can't charge women more than men for the same plan. Many preventive services are covered at no cost to you.

No matter what state you live in, you can use the Marketplace. Some states operate their own Marketplace. In some states, the Marketplace is run by the Federal government. Find a marketplace for yourself.

What are "essential health benefits"?

Essential health benefits must include items and services within at least the following 10 categories: 

• ambulatory patient services
• emergency services
• hospitalization
• maternity and newborn care
• mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment
•  prescription drugs
• rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
• laboratory services
• preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
• pediatric services, including oral and vision care.

Insurance policies must cover these benefits in order to be certified and offered in the Health Insurance Marketplace, and all Medicaid state plans must cover these services by 2014.

How should I choose a plan?

Plans in the new market place are put into 4 basic categories:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum

IMPORTANT: The categories do not reflect the quality or amount of care the plans provide.

The category you choose affects how much your premium costs each month and what portion of the bill you pay for things like hospital visits or prescription medications.

You just gotta ask yourself: Do you expect a lot of doctor visits or need regular prescriptions?

• If you do, you may want a Gold or Platinum plan.
• If you don't, you may prefer a Bronze or Silver plan. But keep in mind that if you get in a serious accident or have an unexpected health problem, Bronze and Silver plans will require you to pay more of the costs.

What are the different plans? 

Basically there are two categories:

• Private: Depending on your household income you may qualify for reduced premiums. All plans cover essential health benefits, pre-existing conditions, and preventive care. If you don’t qualify for lower costs, you can still use the Marketplace to buy insurance at the standard price.
• Medicaid and CHIP (Children Health Insurance Program): Both of these are for those with VERY limited income. 

When can I sign up and when does coverage begin?

Marketplace open enrollment begins October 1, 2013  and ends March 31, 2014. If you enroll by December 15, 2013, coverage can begin as soon as January 1, 2014.

Do I have to offer health coverage to my employees?

Short answer: If you have less than 50 FTE employees, No. Otherwise, maybe. Long answer.

What if I'm self-employed (and have no employees)?
You're not considered an employer. You can use the individual Marketplace to find coverage that fits your needs.

What is AIM and do I qualify? 

AIM: Access for Infants and Mothers provides low cost health insurance coverage to uninsured, middle income pregnant women. The total cost is 1.5% of the subscriber's adjusted annual household income. This is much less than the cost under Covered California. If you are pregnant, with income between $3,256 - $4,884 per month for a family of 3, you may qualify for AIM. You’ll find a complete income chart by family size for AIM here: http://www.aim.ca.gov/costs/income_guidelines.aspx . Medi-Cal provides coverage if your income is below these limits.

What if I don't want insurance?

Most people must have health coverage in 2014 or pay a fee. If you don’t have coverage in 2014, you’ll have to pay a penalty of $95 per adult, $47.50 per child, or 1% of your income (whichever is higher). The fee increases every year. Some people may qualify for an exemption to this fee.

Will there be enough doctors and will they accept these plans?

Maybe, maybe not. But that's the beauty of a free market (all private plans). It will self-adjust until it works. Nothing is sustainable without all parties benefiting to some degree and it may take a few years but it will adjust appropriately. In the mean time, your doctor may not accept your new plan but some doctor somewhere will. If you don't like it, opt for a more expensive option or pay cash for your care. 

To Conclude ...

If you already have health insurance then ACA shouldn't effect you unless you want to shop again starting today. 

If you don't have health insurance now you have to have it and you can get some very basic insurance very cheap. It won't be great, but nothing cheap ever is. 

If you have very low income, you now have an option you didn't have before.

Ready to apply? Get started.

Questions? Call 1-800-318-2596, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (TTY: 1-855-889-4325)