Law and Ethics in Healthcare
Week 10 Discussion
Health Insurance Accessibility
Federal and state governments have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to create a website through which consumers can purchase healthcare 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. Both state and federal exchanges continue to have variation in costs in overall programs and direct costs to consumers (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019).
With all the money spent to create these healthcare exchanges, the question remains: Do they really work? In your Discussion this week, you will explore this question.
To prepare for this Discussion:
- Browse at least two state health insurance exchange websites in 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 healthcare business) to ascertain their impressions of the websites you are evaluating. Consider the following:
- The average American’s healthcare literacy: 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 supporting people with disabilities?
Post your Discussion, to include the following:
- Explain any policy ramifications for health insurance exchanges going forward. Are state health insurance exchanges still a good idea? Why or why not?
- Compare and contrast at least two health insurance websites from various states. Note: Be sure to include the citations for these websites.
- Explain how these websites are or are not user-friendly and appropriate for the public health standard and why.
- Explain how these websites could be improved to help users select the best insurance options for them.
Support your response by identifying and explaining key points and/or examples presented in the Learning Resources.