It turns out that two of the most common consumer complaints about HIX plans mirror longstanding gripes about traditional health insurance, but theres a movement afoot to ensure provider network directories are accurate and help patients better calculate and budget for out-of-pocket costs in the nascent online marketplace.
Insurance carriers whose health plans are sold in federal or state-run public exchanges would be required to update or correct their directories at least monthly or face fines of up to $100 a day for each violation, while a link to an out-of-pocket cost calculator would enable health plan members to more accurately determine their annual premiums, subsidies, copayments and deductibles when making online comparisons of health plans. Those estimates also would take into account an individuals age and medical needs.
