Young adults comprised the largest percentage of the uninsured population in the U.S. Approximately 51.7 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 were uninsured as of the fourth quarter of 2013.
Being the largest portion of the uninsured population, young adults were the target of HealthCare.gov's online healthcare exchanges, yet many of these technologically adept millennials had difficulties navigating the website to obtain coverage.
A study in Annals of Internal Medicine observed 33 "highly educated" young adults between ages 19 and 30 to understand their complications with the website and suggestions for improvement.
Overall, observed participants had trouble understanding health insurance terms and did not feel they were adequately explained. Additionally, there was a general sense of too much information leading to an overwhelming experience.
The following are six actionable improvements for HealthCare.gov to help improve usability, as systematically developed by the researchers.
1. Have accessible explanations of health insurance terminology. "Young adults preferred instantly accessible glossary definitions paired with concrete examples for complex cost concepts," according to the researchers.
2. Make it clear that preventive primary care services are included in all marketplace plans at no additional cost. The researchers said young adults said preventive services were top coverage priorities for them, yet they did not realize they were automatically included.
3. Include the option for dental coverage earlier in the enrollment process. Participants did not realize the dental marketplace followed selecting the health insurance plan and did not know it would be an option for coverage.
4. Make it easier to filter through options by offering sorting tools and presenting choices tailored to consumer preferences. Such tools can help customers more easily narrow plan options and help make decisions on the best coverage for them.
5. Better explain affordability provisions for qualifying health insurance customers. The participants who qualified for tax credits and cost-sharing plans did not fully understand how they applied to the different coverage levels.
6. Rename the "catastrophic" category to something less negative. The researchers suggest names such as "value" or "minimal" that present a less chaotic notion.
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