CHIR: Standardized Plans Fall Short In Boosting Consumer Comprehension

Standardized plans help consumers understand and differentiate between benefits in theory, but not in practice, according to a new report by Georgetown University researchers at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms who studied state-based exchange offerings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon. “Although broad consensus exists among state officials and stakeholders that the primary goal of health plan standardization is to facilitate 'apples-to-apples' plan comparisons, these states’ policy choices and website interfaces have curtailed their ability to achieve these...