The Best Websites for selecting a Marketplace health plan that makes sense for you

The Best Websites for selecting a Marketplace health plan that makes sense for you WASHINGTON, DC

With less than 2 weeks left before the Exchange Marketplace closes, many Americans still have not signed up for health insurance. According to Charles Gaba of ACASignups.net: 1) Just over 10 million people have enrolled to date with that number expected to rise to about 12.5 million by February 15.

2) Consumer switching across Marketplace plans runs as high as 61% of all policies in some states.

3) Enrollment surges still likely in Florida, California, and Massachusetts.

With so many still trying to understand their options, we took a look across the internet to find the best resources for helping patients navigate the maze of information that stands between them and the insurance choice that they are considering. Our criteria:

-"Plain speak" language that doesn't require a Ph.D. to understand.

-Focus: We don't need to understand legislation-we’re just trying to buy the right insurance.

-Simplification: Keeping it simple but thorough while educating the consumer.

With these criteria in mind, here are the places that we felt were the most user-friendly in terms of providing consumers with a positive buying experience: 1) eHealthinsurance.com The Good: What's great about what they've done is the built-in navigator features (they'll recommend a plan for you and you can pay online at the same time). The video explanations of frequently asked questions are good too. They make the buying experience easier.

The Not so Good: While you'll complete your transaction fairly easily, there are other sites that will educate you better about what you're buying. The basic terminology you need to know is buried in a lot of different places.

2) HealthSherpa (http://www.healthsherpa.com/) Healthcare.gov basically copied these guys to fix last year's fiasco. (They actually built Health Sherpa to prove that it didn't take millions of dollars to create a website) They'll take you through the purchase decision and explain things along the way. (The "Explain" popup box is wonderful) Buying and understanding is integrated together, making the entire process easy.

3) OSCAR You have to live in the states of New York and New Jersey to access their coverage. Their buying experience is the easiest among all sites that we reviewed.

4) GetInsured.com What's great about this site is that it is the least "standardized" of all of the alternative purchase sites- you can buy Dental and short-term coverages on this site. Navigation is great and state-specific questions can be answered. The "Compare" function across health plans is pretty good as well.

All of these "alternative purchase" sites have, to a large degree, significantly improved the consumer buying experience. But we're still quite a ways from turning insurance buyers into informed consumers. That's one of the reasons why consumer education sites like NerdWallet (connected to HealthSherpa) and PatientsandtheACA.com will remain important-because building a better transaction system does not necessarily translate into creating a better buying experience.

Fortunately for all of us, the "alternative purchase" sites have addressed the need for greater transparency that was absent with the initial versions of Healthcare.gov and the state enrollment websites. And, of course, Healthcare.gov and the state enrollment websites are still first-stop options if you already have everything figured out.

Stephen Reid is the CEO of Pharmspective, a health data technology company that simplifies Healthcare BIG DATA with easy-to-use knowledge management apps that inform analysis of critical decisions facing healthcare organizations. Pharmspective is also the developer of PatientsandtheACA.com, a consumer education website designed to empower patients' knowledge about their insurance options.