HealthCare.gov Launched

This week, we would like to introduce you to HealthCare.gov, a web site recently launched by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the new site is to provide information to consumers about both public and private health coverage options available in their states.  It has a locator feature that asks the user to select a state and to answer a few questions, such as age, health, and family status. The locator then provides information about public and private coverage options that may be available, including information about high risk pools and free or low-cost community services. In addition to helping consumers find coverage options, the site has information about prevention and staying healthy, understanding the new health care reform law, and a link to a web tool called Hospital Compare intended to help users compare the quality of care that hospitals provide.

Though this tool is not designed for group health coverage, it is designed to improve health care literacy - and it's a great resource to meet that need.