Is there a theme or framework that you used to make this site? It has the exact same UI as https://www.bitcoinica.com/
Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
51–60 of 100 posts
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#52This is very pretty and I'm sure it's to some extent useful. However, I also find it misleading. As someone who has been through the process of buying private insurance before: there are a number of sites like this (though none of them as elegant and spare). All of them will give you comparative rate charts. But those rates don't mean anything. After you select a provider, you have to fill out their application, whic…
To offer a different perspective... I'm younger than you, and was shopping for individual insurance.
In my case, the hardest part was trying to compare plans from the companies in my area. All of them have slightly different ways of making it profitable for them. One could have Rx copays, but a special deductible for ER and urgent care visits. Another company may have only Rx reimbursement and office visit copays. So on and so forth. I actually had a spreadsheet with about a dozen columns to try to figure out, based on how I've used healthcare in the last few years, what plan is likely to be best for me.
Anything to simplify it would be great.
Moreover, the companies I've worked with on this, Blue Cross of Florida and United Healthcare (GoldenRule), in my own experience, the rates they quoted me online after filling out their survey were correct.
Healthcare costs and complexity surely go up as we all get older, so that, plus difference in state laws, probably explain the differences in value we see in this app.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#53This is very pretty and I'm sure it's to some extent useful. However, I also find it misleading. As someone who has been through the process of buying private insurance before: there are a number of sites like this (though none of them as elegant and spare). All of them will give you comparative rate charts. But those rates don't mean anything. After you select a provider, you have to fill out their application, whic…
I've been in your shoes and I empathize. In fact, I was in your shoes just a few days ago when I applied for insurance. The rates here are "representative" and I tried to add disclaimers in the obvious places. The rates are similar to what you see if you check with your state's insurance commissioner. Most states require the health insurance companies to publicly disclose those rates.
Of course, they can still mess with you and they won't hesitate to do so if they think they can't make money at this price. There's no way to find out the final rate without completing the entire application process. In that respect it's similar to auto insurance.
PickHealthInsurance still has a lot of utility compared to existing sites, though.
You can get often get the advertised rates, but not always. In Washington State for example, you can get these rates if you're running out of COBRA and you've been covered continuously. They aren't allowed to ask questions.
I don't think there's a magic bullet, unfortunately. Suggestions welcome.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#54I'm releasing the first version of PickHealthInsurance today. It helps you compare health insurance plans (individual, not group) in the US. I put this together over a few weekends. My COBRA is about to run out and I found it exceptionally difficult to compare plans and prices with the existing sites. This is the third time I've had to buy individual insurance and I finally decided to do something about it. Things cr…
I think it needs sliders to adjust the deductible, coinsurance, etc.
More like kayak? I thought about adding the sliders, but it feels like the filtering is sufficient.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#55I'm releasing the first version of PickHealthInsurance today. It helps you compare health insurance plans (individual, not group) in the US. I put this together over a few weekends. My COBRA is about to run out and I found it exceptionally difficult to compare plans and prices with the existing sites. This is the third time I've had to buy individual insurance and I finally decided to do something about it. Things cr…
Very nice. It's EONS better than Massachusetts' health insurance website ( https://www.mahealthconnector.org/ ). Idea: Perhaps add columns so you can sort plans by co-pay for Doctor visits, ER visits, an prescriptions? Maybe hide those columns by default so the GUI doesn't get too cluttered, but let users display them if desired.
I'm trying not to clutter the UI. Ethan (my co-founder from Urbanspoon) came up with the idea for the "office visit" icon. I used to have that in a column and it was just too much, even on my enormous monitor.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#56This is very pretty and I'm sure it's to some extent useful. However, I also find it misleading. As someone who has been through the process of buying private insurance before: there are a number of sites like this (though none of them as elegant and spare). All of them will give you comparative rate charts. But those rates don't mean anything. After you select a provider, you have to fill out their application, whic…
To offer a different perspective... I'm younger than you, and was shopping for individual insurance. In my case, the hardest part was trying to compare plans from the companies in my area. All of them have slightly different ways of making it profitable for them. One could have Rx copays, but a special deductible for ER and urgent care visits. Another company may have only Rx reimbursement and office visit copays. So…
I'm 34 now, but my last tussle with private insurance happened when I was 28.
Did you fill out complete applications for Blue Cross and United? Were you presented with a sign-on-the-dotted-line contract with a rate on it?
Were you applying solely for yourself?
Again, if you're in your 20s, healthy, male, and alone, you are very easy to insure, because you cost epsilon for Blue Cross to insure.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#57I'm releasing the first version of PickHealthInsurance today. It helps you compare health insurance plans (individual, not group) in the US. I put this together over a few weekends. My COBRA is about to run out and I found it exceptionally difficult to compare plans and prices with the existing sites. This is the third time I've had to buy individual insurance and I finally decided to do something about it. Things cr…
What is your take on the Twitter Bootstrap (assuming you are not involved in its development) in terms of productivity?
Twitter Bootstrap is completely awesome. I could never make it look this good on my own, especially with full browser testing.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#58Looks like your price sorting is by string and not integer so $1,491 (most expensive) then $199 (least expensive) were the top two results after sorting.
Fixed, thanks! jQuery Tablesort has a bug with currencies and commas...
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#59Looks great, but returns 0 plan that includes maternity coverage in my area. I don't know if it's an issue with the app, or just the sad state of health insurance in the US... probably a bit of both.
Not a bug, sadly. That's just the way it is in some spots. We're lucky up here in Seattle.
Re: Show HN: PickHealthInsurance.com
#60This is very pretty and I'm sure it's to some extent useful. However, I also find it misleading. As someone who has been through the process of buying private insurance before: there are a number of sites like this (though none of them as elegant and spare). All of them will give you comparative rate charts. But those rates don't mean anything. After you select a provider, you have to fill out their application, whic…
I've been in your shoes and I empathize. In fact, I was in your shoes just a few days ago when I applied for insurance. The rates here are "representative" and I tried to add disclaimers in the obvious places. The rates are similar to what you see if you check with your state's insurance commissioner. Most states require the health insurance companies to publicly disclose those rates. Of course, they can still mess w…
Are you sure Washington State is that simple? I don't live there and only spent a few moments researching, but I don't see that WA has guaranteed issue with continuous coverage. It does seem to have guaranteed renewal, but that locks you into one insurer, doesn't it?