WebMD Launches Consumer Guide To Obamacare
By Dr. James Palermo // August 8, 2013
SEBELIUS DEPSERATELY SEEKING PRIVATE SECTOR HELP TO EDUCATE PUBLIC ON AND PROMOTE OBAMACARE
ABOVE VIDEO: This is the introductory video for WebMD’s online “Health Care Reform Center” for consumers and the ACA Resource Center for physicians, which are focused on educating consumers and physicians and to providing actionable guidance about the impact of the Affordable Care Act.
One of the leading online health sites, WebMD just recently launched a very comprehensive consumer guide to ObamaCare. The “Health Care Reform Center,” guides users through the basics of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and how to purchase health insurance on the new exchanges.
AMERICAN PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OBAMACARE
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently complained that she does not have the resources she would like in order to promote the law, and has tried to enlist community leaders, bloggers and health care providers for on-the-ground outreach this summer and fall. Enrollment runs from October through March, and there’s a plethora of distrust and confusion across the country related to the law.
The industry is responding to Sebelius’ lamentations despite sharp criticism from conservative groups like FreedomWorks, which seek to discourage enrollment in the law’s exchanges as a protest against ObamaCare. WebMD is part of a growing group of healthcare organizations and concerns that are working to educate the public before ObamaCare’s major provisions take effect on Jan. 1.
AARP now offers two information sites on the reform, CVS Caremark is using its retail stores to promote the ACA to uninsured customers who will be eligible to buy coverage through new online insurance marketplaces, and Walgreens and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association have collaborated on a program to educate consumers and promote the law’s benefits.
WEBMD MOST COMPREHENSIVE SITE FOR BOTH HEALTHCARE CONSUMERS AND PROVIDERS
After reviewing the online sites, WebMD appears to me to offer a more comprehensive overview of and actionable guidance for the ACA for both healthcare consumers and providers.
The long list of features on the consumer site include videos, quizzes, countdowns and insurance cost calculators, as well as extensive FAQs, articles and infographics that shed light on how Obamacare functions.
“WebMD has more than a decade of expertise in providing health insurance information,” said WebMD Interim CEO David Schlanger in a statement. “The Health Care Reform Center builds on this expertise at a time when there is an immense need for trusted, objective information about complex legislation.
