California consumers will be able to get a strong picture of Covered California, the newly named package of health insurance offerings from the Health Benefit Exchange when the state launches a new website next month, according to exchange officials.
“We’ve been targeting the new website by the end of this year, but I’m optimistic we’re looking at Dec. 1 for the launch of that,” said Oscar Hidalgo, director of communication and public affairs at the exchange. “We might take a pause for stakeholder input, because we always like to run things by stakeholders before going public, but we’re hopeful it will be online at the start of December.”
The Covered California brand name and logo, chosen at Tuesday’s exchange board meeting, will be highlighted in the new site.
The exchange eventually plans to launch a bigger web portal that can actually start people through the enrollment process, but that won’t happen till the middle of next year, Hidalgo said.
“This one is more educational,” he said. “The idea is to begin the branding and increase awareness of Covered California.”
Over the next six months or so, the exchange will add and alter information on the new site. “Good websites are always very fluid, so we’ll revamp the current website regularly to create some awareness and education,” Hidalgo said. “People are going to need that information readily available.”
The bigger portal sit should launch in the summer of 2013, Hidalgo said.
“We want to have it up by then so consumers can be ready for open enrollment in October 2013,” Hidalgo said.