If you build it, they will come, and some two million have already visited thehealthsherpa.com, a site built in three days that uses data from HealthCare.gov to provide almost instantaneous quotes on Obamacare health insurance policies.
The site, coded by three 20-year-olds in just three days drawing from a HealthCare.gov data feed, is simplicity incarnate. Just enter your zip code (see image at right) and then the age of people you want an insurance quotation for, and the prices, policies and sponsoring companies appear within seconds.
The site is merely informational, however, but it eliminates the red tape of the official website. It might prove beneficial to use Health Sherpa to find the policy you want and then buy it directly from the insurance company or from HealthCare.gov. The site, according to its authors, also features a tool for calculating any federal subsidy you may be eligible for.
The three 20-year-olds are Ning Liang, George Kalogeropoulos and Michael Wasser. Kalogeropoulos appeared on CNBC this morning to answer questions and affirmed that the site is not the least bit monetized. Kalogeropoulos said he met last night with officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who endorsed such third-party efforts in the name of overall Obamacare success.