Website Provides First-Ever Look at Cost and Quality of All Health Insurance Plans Offered in Each Region

HealthPocket.com offers unbiased information to help people select health insurance plans that meet their medical needs and their budget

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time ever, a new website called HealthPocket.com enables consumers to compare and rank every health insurance plan available in their geographic region. Launched today, HealthPocket.com allows consumers to see information on the price and quality of their health insurance options, without any insurance company paying to showcase its own plans or selectively highlight information.

Over half of the U.S. population will need to make choices about their health insurance carrier by 2014—with millions of Medicare beneficiaries currently facing a Dec. 7 deadline for enrolling in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans and/or Medicare Advantage plans.

Americans consistently pay more than they need to for health insurance, and don't always select the plan that provides the right coverage to meet their medical needs. Developers of HealthPocket.com spent decades pioneering online access to health insurance information, and say that a major reason so many people buy the wrong plan is because consumers don't have access to complete and easy-to-understand information about their options.

"Honest, complete answers to the questions people have when buying health insurance—what plans are available in my area, how much do they cost based on my medical conditions, and what strings are attached—have long been suppressed, and we're finally making the information transparent," said Bruce Telkamp, co-founder & CEO at HealthPocket, Inc. "Through HealthPocket.com, we offer something new that has the power to change how we buy and use healthcare in the U.S. for the better."

Telkamp said a major challenge for consumers of all ages, and particularly for seniors, is how to wade through the volume of conflicting and biased information on the internet about health insurance options. Similar to online sites like Amazon or Kayak, HealthPocket.com filters all plans offered in a geographic area by cost of premiums, cost of drugs covered, and quality of the plan. Unlike other sites, HealthPocket.com does not directly sell anything. Consumers can use the site to get information and even get connected with an insurance provider, but HealthPocket.com does not broker sales of health insurance.

The developers of HealthPocket.com expect millions of people will use the site and save billions of dollars on healthcare costs. They say the key to the site's success is making information on health insurance offerings understandable, transparent, and unbiased.

"Existing online health insurance sites have at least one fatal flaw—they steer consumers only toward the health plans that have paid to be one of the options, which skews the results," said Steve Zaleznick, who leads consumer outreach for HealthPocket, Inc. "Other sites require the user to divulge personally identifiable information before providing any results. HealthPocket.com shares all the information people need to make a decision, without requiring anything from them, and without any pay for placement from insurers."

HealthPocket.com developers say the site is unique because:

• It shows all options
  HealthPocket.com is not affiliated with any insurance company. It is the only private, independent website able to filter all plans available by cost of premiums, cost of drugs covered, and quality of the plan—without hiding anything.
• It uses independent, unbiased data
  HealthPocket.com uses objective data from government and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from sharing certain information. The site provides an objective, transparent measure of cost and quality of every plan available in a given region.
• It simplifies decisions
  HealthPocket.com allows consumers to sort plans by information they deem important. It clearly shows all options in ways that can be tailored by users.
• It doesn't require any personally identifiable information
  Users do not need to register on the site or even provide their name. All that's needed to use HealthPocket.com securely is a zip code.
• It's free
  HealthPocket.com is completely free. Site developers say revenues will ultimately come through advertising, but there will never be a charge to consumers to use the site.

"Choosing a health plan shouldn't consume days researching options and require a PhD in healthcare economics," said Telkamp. "We're offering something that can positively alter how people in America buy and use healthcare."

Consumers can find a health plan that best meets their needs at www.HealthPocket.com.

About HealthPocket
HealthPocket.com is a free website that compares and ranks all health plans available to an individual, family, or employer in a given area, all at once. The Company uses only objective data from government, non-profit, and private sources that carry no conditions that might restrict the site from serving as an unbiased resource for consumers. The founders of HealthPocket.com spent decades pioneering online access to health insurance information and knew they could offer something different that can positively change how people buy and use healthcare in the U.S. Learn more at www.HealthPocket.com.

SOURCE HealthPocket.com