Health Insurance Accessibility Note: Before completing this Discussion, please familiarize yourself with the Week 6 Discussion 2 Rubric located in the Course Information area of the course navigation menu. Federal and state governments have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to create a website through which consumers can purchase health care insurance in the open market. The federal government operates healthcare.gov. Some states have opted not to utilize the federal government’s exchange and approach it on their own. This has proved to be a very costly and disastrous undertaking for some states, such as Maryland, whose situation was described in this week’s introduction. Oregon also discovered that running its own exchange can be a risky and expensive business. “Although the state has spent an estimated $248 million to get the operation up and running, it never enrolled a single private insurance customer online” (La Ganga, 2014). Oregon claims that it was not a failure of policy; the problems were in the building of the website, making the program virtually inaccessible. With all the money spent to create these health care exchanges, the question remains: do they really work? In your Discussion this week, you will explore this question. To prepare for this Discussion, browse the California Health Insurance Exchange website, Covered California, in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider that states are supposed to make these websites user-friendly and appropriate for a person who reads at the eighth-grade level (the typical U.S. public health standard). Reflect on your own experiences in accessing the state exchanges. It may also be helpful to get some additional feedback from friends or family members (not in the health care business) to ascertain their impressions of the websites you are evaluating. Consider the following: The average American’s health care literacy; in other words, can they comprehend what they are reading on these sites to make an informed choice? What are your impressions? Is the site user-friendly? Is it easily accessible? What about support for people with disabilities? As you evaluate California Health Insurance Exchange website, be sure to look at the “2015 Covered California Shop and Compare Tool” section of the site. Post by Day 4 an evaluation of whether the California Health Insurance Exchange website is user-friendly and appropriate for the public health standard and why. Explain whether you think this website could be improved to help users select the best insurance options for them, and how. General Guidance on Discussion Posts: Your original post, due by Day 4 , will typically be 3–4 paragraphs in length as a general expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week 6 Discussion 2 Rubric for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the rubric to assess your work. Covered California. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.coveredca.com/ Gould, E. (2013). Employer-sponsored health insurance coverage.

1. Health Insurance Accessibility
Note:
Before completing this Discussion, please familiarize yourself
with the Week 6 Discussion 2 Rubric located in the
Course Information
area of the course navigation menu.
Federal and state governments have spent millions of taxpayer
dollars to create a website through which consumers can
purchase health care insurance in the open market. The federal
government operates healthcare.gov. Some states have opted not
to utilize the federal government’s exchange and approach it on
their own. This has proved to be a very costly and disastrous
undertaking for some states, such as Maryland, whose situation
was described in this week’s introduction.
Oregon also discovered that running its own exchange can be a
risky and expensive business. “Although the state has spent an
estimated $248 million to get the operation up and running, it
never enrolled a single private insurance customer online” (La
Ganga, 2014). Oregon claims that it was not a failure of policy;
the problems were in the building of the website, making the
program virtually inaccessible.
With all the money spent to create these health care exchanges,
the question remains: do they really work? In your Discussion
this week, you will explore this question.
To prepare for this Discussion, browse the California Health
Insurance Exchange website, Covered California, in this week’s
Learning Resources.
Consider that states are supposed to make these websites user-
friendly and appropriate for a person who reads at the eighth-
grade level (the typical U.S. public health standard). Reflect on
your own experiences in accessing the state exchanges. It may
also be helpful to get some additional feedback from friends or
family members (not in the health care business) to ascertain
their impressions of the websites you are evaluating. Consider
the following:

2. The average American’s health care literacy; in other words,
can they comprehend what they are reading on these sites to
make an informed choice?
What are your impressions? Is the site user-friendly? Is it easily
accessible?
What about support for people with disabilities?
As you evaluate California Health Insurance Exchange website,
be sure to look at the “2015 Covered California Shop and
Compare Tool” section of the site.
Post by Day 4
an evaluation of whether the California Health Insurance
Exchange website is user-friendly and appropriate for the public
health standard and why. Explain whether you think this website
could be improved to help users select the best insurance
options for them, and how.
General Guidance on Discussion Posts:
Your original post, due by
Day 4
, will typically be 3–4 paragraphs in length as a general
expectation/estimate. Refer to the Week 6 Discussion 2 Rubric
for grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use the
rubric to assess your work.
Covered California. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.coveredca.com/
Gould, E. (2013).
Employer-sponsored health insurance coverage continues to
decline in a new decade
.
International Journal of Health Services, 43
(4), 603–638.
Employer-sponsored Health Insurance Coverage Continues to
Decline in a New Decade by Gould, E., in International Journal
of Health and Human Services, Vol. 43/Issue 4. Copyright 2013
by Sage Publications, Inc. - Journals. Reprinted by permission
of Sage Publications, Inc. - Journals via the Copyright

3. Clearance Center.
Kennedy, K. (2013, February 20).
HHS releases rules on insurers’ essential health benefits
. USA Today.
Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/20/essentia
lhealthbenefitsfinalrule/1933015/
HHS Releases Rules on Insurers’ Essential Health Benefits by
Kennedy, K., in USA Today, February 20, 2013. Copyright 2013
by Gannett Company, Inc. - VA. Reprinted by permission
of Gannett Company, Inc. - VA via the Copyright Clearance
Center.
All exchanges must include these benefits.
U.S. Government Printing Office
.
(2014).
Obamacare implementation: The rollout of Heathcare.gov
. Retrieved from http://oversight.house.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/11-13-13-TRANSCRIPT-Obamacare-
Implementation-The-Rollout-of-Healthcare.gov_.pdf
House of Representatives: One Hundred Thirteenth Congress.
(2013). Obamacare Implementation: The Rollout of
Heathcare.gov (Serial No. 113–91). Retrieved from Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform website:
http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/11-13-
13-TRANSCRIPT-Obamacare-Implementation-The-Rollout-of-
Healthcare.gov_.pdf
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2015).
State health insurance marketplace profiles.
Retrieved from
http://kff.org/state-health-marketplace-profiles/