California Department of Insurance officials have announced a new website that will enable consumers to comparison-shop for health insurance.
It’s a collaborative effort between the CDI, UC-San Francisco and Consumer Reports, a not-for-profit magazine that conducts consumer product testing and research. The project is federally funded through the Affordable Care Act, CDI officials said.
The new site “will allow Californians to access and compare health care prices and quality so they can make better informed decisions about treatment options,” CDI officials said in a written release.
“The online tool provides important information for consumers about health care prices for more than 100 medical procedures and conditions and provides information about the quality of medical care so consumers can make knowledgeable choices about where to seek care,” the statement said.
CDI officials said the website is “the first of its kind” in California, though the Covered California health benefit exchange does have a health insurance comparison tool on its website.
Consumer Reports scheduled a media demonstration of the new site on Monday.
“The online tool makes health care price information public and allows consumers to access meaningful price and quality data on a centralized, user-friendly website,” the CDI statement said.
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