Open Gov Healthcare Site Launched

[Michael Hardner]

Information Week Article

The Obama administration Thursday launched a website aimed at providing more transparency into the U.S. healthcare marketplace, one that has long been a quagmire for the average consumer to navigate.

HealthCare.gov provides people with information about their rights as consumers of healthcare services as a way to give them more control over the care provided to them, according to a White House blog post by Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

One of the new site's most useful features is a tool that allows people to search for viable health insurance options by entering the state they live in and answering some questions.

In her post, Sebelius noted how difficult and confusing it can be to search for health insurance, and explains how HealthCare.gov aims to provide a simple remedy for this problem.

"The site makes a system that thrived on complication and confusion easier to understand," she wrote. "This kind of transparency helps create informed consumers which increases competition, reduces prices, and improves quality.

In the past, information on products and services moved slowly, so the market for the best services at the best price developed over a longer time period. With the web, it could happen instantly by providing comparative factual information.