Healthcare.gov is riddled with problems, and we’re told that fixing it will be a hard and heavy lift.
There are a lot of moving parts, with many companies selling their products, based on user preferences and needs. Users need to sort through their options to find the best product for their individual situations.
What item do I want to buy? From whom should I buy it? Is there a better price for my needs and my location? How much is shipping?
Well, that last one perhaps is not a relevant question here – but it’s certainly asked on a very similar site, Etsy.
Etsy.com serves as a clearinghouse for small sellers who would not otherwise be able to reach the same customer base or work out the logistics of a robust and safe ecommerce site. Its reputation is for DIY knitwear, or kitschy-cutesy fashion and home decorating.
Etsy doesn’t discriminate based on the pre-existing condition of the hipster buyer, just as the new health care exchanges don’t discriminate based on pre-existing conditions such as lousy health insurance.
Maybe the insurance companies should just go ahead and open their exchanges on Etsy.
I’ll even provide a basic service as a good citizen: Etsy.com.