AARP Unveils Obamacare Web Guide

AARP has launched a Web site to help people over 50 find insurance under the Affordable Care Act. It takes a completely different approach to  helping users find coverage — and has so far been glitch-free:

Obama administration officials are scrambling to fix their broken Obamacare enrollment website, but in the meantime, the AARP is coming to the rescue.

The massive organization that says it represents people older than 50 has launched its own website, HealthLawAnswers.org, that helps people find out about health insurance eligibility options — and it actually works.

The site is simple enough. A person answers seven questions that determine what insurance options are available to them, based on state, gender, age, income and other factors. In less than a minute, the site spits out a customized report on health insurance options available to that person and includes contact information for their state’s health insurance provider. The site also emphasizes that people can enroll in Obamacare not just through healthcare.gov, but also via phone, mail or in person.

The AARP site doesn’t enroll people in Obamacare. But it clearly explains the perks of Obamacare — including that a person can’t be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition and that young adults can stay on a family plan until they are 26 years old — and lets users know whether it’s in their best interest to enroll.

AARP VP of Health Education Nicole Duritz makes a point that we wish both President Obama and Kathlees Sebelius hd made earlier today:

“There’s a lot of people that don’t need to be going to healthcare.gov. People are really eager to get information. People want to know what Obamacare means in their lives. This can give them really pertinent information and guides to next steps.”

By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.