My day job is at a health care non-profit in Washington, DC. As you can imagine, it's been a wild four years for us, as the Affordable Care Act was introduced, passed, and then ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court. As a result of the law, millions more people will be eligible for Medicaid and millions of people will be eligible for tax credits to buy insurance in state health care exchanges (basically marketplaces). In addition, people in the private market will use these exchanges to sign up for individual plans if they don't get insurance through their job. Each state is responsible for setting up these exchanges and getting people who are eligible for the available programs enrolled.
Previously, the enrollment process for health care products has been a jumble of papers. To apply for public programs in states, there are different forms for each program, they require different documents from the applicant, and the process can be long and drawn out. This process will simply not be feasible moving into a post-2014 Affordable Care Act world (when the law is fully implemented and exchanges open and millions more people will be eligible for Medicaid).
Using new technologies (or not so new, like computers...) states will be able to streamline their application processes. Instead of having to know which programs to apply to and apply to them all individually, there can be one online form for all the programs available in the state, for example, and from that form, the applicant will find out which programs they are eligible. The exchanges also need an interface that allows people to compare plans, submit documents, and enroll in insurance plans.
So, a partnership of between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and eight national and state health foundations sponsored the Enroll UX 2014 project. They hired the design firm IDEO to come up with a user interface. What they produced is a great example of human-centered design that is a pretty solid beginning of a new way of thinking about enrollment. It includes both the public and private plans in one place, so people don't have to worry about which office they need to talk to about this or that program--they just go to this online marketplace. I think it's pretty cool, but I'm a health care nerd.
The interface is incredibly easy to use, with one minor caveat: I don't like how the previous item moves up when you submit it. It seems like an unnecessary animation, and if you are filling out this form for like an hour, that is probably a little bit straining on the eyes and stomach. But moving on to all the things I do like about it: The language isn't that wonky stuff you usually read when trying to sign up for health care plans--it's clear, simple, and concise. They introduce each section with explanations of what you will do in the section. The typography and layout make it easy to know what to read, what to click, and what to fill out. They also tell you the estimated time you will need in order to complete each section, where you are in the process, and where you still have to go. This gives the online form an environment and lets the applicant feel like they are making progress. It also reduces paperwork issues by allowing applicants to submit documents electronically by taking pictures (has anyone been depositing checks this way as of late? LOVE IT) or finding an electronic copy on your computer. There's more, but you should just check out the prototype yourself!
Here is a video that you may find boring, but explains the process:
Some things to respond to if you couldn't care less about health care forms: Are there other online designs that you know of that are (or you anticipate they will) make life easier? Are there things that haven't yet, but would, greatly benefit from this type of treatment?
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