(WASHINGTON) - The White House has announced the launching of a new website - HealthCare.gov - a consumer-oriented information center that provides unprecedented transparency into the Health Care marketplace.  Through HealthCare.gov, Americans will now have more control over their Health Care as informed and empowered consumers, Obama Administration officials say.

This “first-of-its-kind” website is simple and easy to use and provides one-stop shopping access to a wealth of information - including a listing of new consumer rights and benefits under the Affordable Care Act, a timeline of when new programs under the new law will come on-line between now and 2014, and a new insurance finder that will make it easy to find both private and public health insurance option that works for you. 

HealthCare.gov will help take some of the mystery out of shopping for health insurance.

For too long, it was confusing to identify your options and compare plans.  HealthCare.gov will make comparison shopping easier with a new insurance finder that allows users to answer a few basic questions and receive information about insurance options that could work for them.

The site makes a system that thrived on complication and confusion easier to understand.  This kind of transparency helps create informed consumers which increases competition, reduces prices and improves quality, Obama Administration officials say.  

The following are just some of the basics that anyone can find when they visit the site:

• Approximately 500 pages of content.

• Data for more than 1,000 insurance carriers and 5,561 open products (2,030 in the individual health insurance market and 3,531 in the small employer health insurance market), as well as information on every Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program in the country

• Information on the Pre-Existing Condition Plan in every state, including New York.

• Billions of choices: Answer a few basic questions and the site’s insurance finder automatically sorts through a huge catalog of public and private coverage options to help you identify the ones that are right for you (with billions of potential personal scenarios supported).   

HealthCare.gov will continue to get even better in the months ahead, Obama Administration representatives say.  For example, in October, 2010, price estimates for health insurance plans will be available on-line, and the site includes easy ways for users to tell us how we can make HealthCare.gov more helpful and easier to use.

Several Labor Organizations, Labor Unions and groups are already commenting on the website:

The National AFL-CIO

“Health Care.gov represents a giant step towards shifting control of health choices in the private insurance market from insurance companies to Working Families.  The AFL-CIO applauds the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Department for such creating such a user-friendly website where consumers can find useful and timely information on health coverage, choice and quality.  Nothing in the private sector is its equal. HealthCare.gov is an example of public service at its best in the internet age and it delivers on the promise that HHS will be America’s ‘Help Desk’ for Health Care decisions.  The unprecedented range and depth of information on insurance plans far outstretches what insurers provide or, in many cases, even disclose on their offerings.  In addition the balanced information conveys in plain language giving consumers the information that’s usually gets lost in the fine print.  The cost comparison information on plans scheduled to be added in October will make the site an even more consumer-friendly tool.  While the site will be most immediately useful to those without employment-based insurance – the millions of unemployed Working Families who have lost their health coverage in the economic meltdown of the past two years will find this enormously helpful – it also conveys information about improvements down the road for workers with group coverage by explaining in plain language the multiple benefits under the Affordable Care Act.”

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

“Last year, SEIU members joined in a Nationwide effort to win quality, affordable Health Care for all Americans. HealthCare.gov is an important step forward in ending insurance company abuse - once and for all.  This portal will increase both transparency and access for the uninsured and allow people to find quality, affordable health plans in their states.  For the first time ever, Americans will be able to compare health plans and make educated decisions about the type of plan that best suits their needs.  With today's launching ofHealthCare.gov, we're closer than ever to achieving quality, affordable Health Care for all Americans.”

The American Cancer Society

“Healthcare.gov offers consumers something they've never had in the health insurance marketplace - a transparent, one-stop site where they can compare benefits and services and find the insurance options that work best for them.  Reducing confusion about coverage and introducing straight-forward information about insurance options has always been a top priority for cancer patients and survivors, and this website will help in a major way.  The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will be getting the word out to our volunteers and members about this valuable new resource.”

The American Heart Association

“This new website from the Department of Health and Human Services is a valuable resource for all Americans as they learn more about the health insurance options available to them and about new insurance protections that could help ensure access to needed care for themselves and their families.  For the first time, consumers faced with an array of choices will have a single site to go to help them understand their coverage options.  The American Heart Association will continue to work closely with Congress and the Administration to ensure that heart disease and stroke patients receive the best information available to make informed choices about their insurance needs.”