Find a plan.
A TRUSTED INDEPENDENT HEALTH INSURANCE GUIDE SINCE 1999.
Call our agency partners 866-553-3223

Featured

Featured
13 qualifying life events that trigger ACA special enrollment
Outside of open enrollment, a special enrollment period allows you to enroll in an ACA-compliant plan (on or off-exchange) if you experience a qualifying life event.

Latest News & Topics

Latest News & Topics

Featured

Featured
6 lessons Mary Lou Retton’s health scare can teach us about coverage
Mary Lou Retton’s health scare story included some important lessons for consumers, many of whom may assume that the celebrity’s health scare is a sign of barriers to affordable health coverage.
Call our agency partners 866-553-3223

healthinsurance.org Authors

Meet our health reform experts

Frequent Contributors

Maggie Aime

Maggie Aime

Maggie Aime is a health, wellness and medical personal finance writer. With over 25 years in healthcare and a passion for education, she draws on her rich experience across nursing specialties, case management, revenue management, medical coding, and utilization review nurse consultant roles to create content that informs, inspires, and empowers. She’s passionate about educating […]

Tanya Feke, M.D.

Tanya Feke, M.D.

Tanya Feke M.D. is a licensed, board-certified family physician living in New Hampshire. As a practicing primary care physician in Connecticut and an urgent care physician in New Hampshire for nearly ten years, she saw first-hand how Medicare impacted her patients. In recent years, her career path has shifted to consultant work with a focus on utilization review and medical necessity compliance. She currently works as a physician advisor at R1 RCM, Inc., where she performs case reviews for hospitals nationwide.

Louise Norris

Louise Norris

Health insurance & health reform authority

Louise Norris has been writing about health insurance and health care reform since 2006 and has as written dozens of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act. She’s the author of our annually updated guide to ACA open enrollment and our companion guide to special enrollment – both loaded with tips designed to help consumers select the right ACA-compliant coverage and spend less time doing it.

Andrew Sprung

Andrew Sprung

Healthcare policy writer

Andrew Sprung is a freelance writer who blogs about health care policy and ACA implementation at xpostfactoid and at healthinsurance.org.  His articles have appeared in publications including Health Affairs, The American Prospect, USA Today, The New York Times, The Incidental Economist, Mother Jones, The Atlantic and The New Republic. He is the winner of the […]

Jennifer Chumbley Hogue

Jennifer Chumbley Hogue

Jenny Chumbley Hogue brings over 30 years of health industry experience to her role as a contributor for healthinsurance.org. Her specialties include the individual health insurance market, Medicare, and small-group insurance. She takes great pride in not only understanding the details and laws regarding individual-market health Insurance and Medicare, but more importantly, being able to explain to regulations to consumers in a way that is easy to understand.

Maurie Backman

Maurie Backman

Maurie Backman has been writing professionally for well over a decade, and her coverage area runs the gamut from healthcare to personal finance to career advice. Much of her writing these days revolves around retirement and its various components and challenges, including healthcare, Medicare, Social Security, and money management.

Josh Schultz

Josh Schultz

Josh Schultz has a strong background in Medicare and the Affordable Care Act and is a frequent contributor at medicareresources.org. He managed a Medicare ombudsman contract at the Medicare Rights Center in New York City, and represented clients in extensive Medicare claims and appeals. In addition to advocacy work, Josh helped implement federal and state […]

Harold Pollack

Harold Pollack

Health policy and public health educator

Harold Pollack is the Helen Ross Professor at the School of Social Service Administration. He is also Co-Director of The University of Chicago Crime Lab. He has published widely at the interface between poverty policy and public health. Pollack serves as a Fellow at the MacLean Center for Clinical Ethics at the University of Chicago, and as an Adjunct Fellow at the Century Foundation.

Charles Gaba

Charles Gaba

Affordable Care Act enrollment analyst

Charles Gaba is the founder of ACASignups.net, which has been live-tracking Obamacare enrollments since the exchanges launched in October 2013. His work has been cited by major publications from the Washington Post and Forbes to the New York Times as being the most reliable source available for up-to-date, accurate ACA enrollment data in the country.

Wendell Potter

Wendell Potter

Health reform advocate; best-selling author

Following a 20-year career as a corporate insurance executive, Wendell Potter left his position as head of communications for Cigna in 2008 to advocate for comprehensive health care reform. He has since been an ardent advocate for major health insurance reforms.

Jesse Migneault

Jesse Migneault

Healthcare journalist

Jesse Migneault is a journalist and editor whose work has focused on business, government and healthcare – including public and private-payer health insurance.

Linda Bergthold

Linda Bergthold

Healthcare consultant, researcher; former national healthcare advisor

Dr. Linda Bergthold has been a health care consultant and researcher for more than 25 years. She worked on the Clinton Health Reform plan and was the head of the Obama health care blog team in 2008. She also writes for The Huffington Post on health reform and insurance issues.

Amy Lynn Smith

Amy Lynn Smith

Healthcare communications strategist

Amy Lynn Smith is a writer and communications strategist who specializes in healthcare and issue advocacy. She creates empowering, educational content that encourages people to be more engaged in their own health, wellness and decision-making – from the doctor’s office to the ballot box.

Lisa Zamosky

Lisa Zamosky

Health insurance & healthcare policy journalist

Lisa Zamosky is a nationally known expert on health insurance, health care policy, the Affordable Care Act and consumer health and finance concerns.

Steve Anderson

Steve Anderson

Editor, content manager at healthinsurance.org

Steve Anderson is editor and content manager for healthinsurance.org, where he works with a talented team of health policy writers. Anderson is a writer and editor with two decades of communications experience that includes previous lives in print journalism, corporate communications, and public affairs.

Maggie Mahar

Maggie Mahar

Maggie Mahar is an author and financial journalist who has written extensively about the American health care system. Her book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much, was the inspiration for the documentary, Money Driven Medicine (which Mahar also co-wrote).

Michael Meulemans

Michael Meulemans

Michael Meulemans is a writer, editor, and trainer of insurance industry continuing education courses and technical insurance documents, specializing in health reform.  He has more than 15 years of public and private health insurance industry experience. A licensed health insurance agent and certified Health Insurance Marketplace Navigator, Michael has also authored insurance textbooks and continuing […]

Guest Contributors

Irene Aguilar, MD

Irene Aguilar, MD

Colorado State Senator

Senator Aguilar sponsored legislation to expand Medicaid in Colorado and to align the state’s health laws with the Affordable Care Act.  She has worked to ensure those without health insurance receive fair pricing for hospital care. Senator Aguilar has also passed laws to improve the lives of people with disabilities by providing funding for respite, support for applying for social security disability, and a voice at the table.

Tammy Baldwin

Tammy Baldwin

U.S. Senator from Wisconsin

Sen. Baldwin has for years been an outspoken advocate of universal healthcare and introduced the Health Security for all American Act while in the U.S. House. She voted in 2009 to support House health reform legislation that would have included a public option and later voted for passage of the Affordable Care Act.  In 2009, she also introduced the Ending LGBT Health Disparities Act.   

Kellan Baker

Kellan Baker

Center for American Progress

Kellan Baker is a Health Policy Analyst with the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, where his work includes strategically advocating for LGBT inclusion in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, improving data collection on LGBT health and health disparities, and working with the Department of Health and Human Services on a broad range of LGBT health issues.

Steve Beshear

Steve Beshear

Former Governor, Kentucky

Steve Beshear served as Governor of Kentucky from 2007 through 2015. He shepherded Kentucky through the global economic recession, earning the Commonwealth national recognition for job creation and business investment. He also made the state the national model in expanding health-care access through its aggressive embrace of the Affordable Care Act and other health-reform efforts.

Joanne Boyer

Joanne Boyer

Joanne Boyer is author/editor of Wisdom of Progressive Voices, a book chronicling our progressive heritage through biographies and quotes from some of the most famous voices of the American Progressive Movement. She blogs at www.wisdomvoices.com. For the past 15 years, she has operated a business providing marketing communications for industry and non-profit clients from her home base in […]

Linda Burke-Galloway, MD, MS, FACOG

Linda Burke-Galloway, MD, MS, FACOG

Board Member, Doctors for America

Dr.  Linda Burke-Galloway is a board-certified ob-gyn physician, author and blogger.

Barbara Bollier, M.D.

Barbara Bollier, M.D.

Kansas State Senator

Kansas State Sen. Barbara Bollier is a lifelong resident of Kansas. She served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2010 to 2017. In 2016, she was elected to the Kansas Senate, where she served as vice-chairman of the Public Health and Welfare committee as well as on the KanCare (Medicaid) Oversight Committee.

Dr. Fiona Caldwell

Dr. Fiona Caldwell

Dr. Fiona Caldwell is a veterinary pet health writer for Pets Best Insurance. Dr. Caldwell received her undergraduate degree from Willamette University and her veterinary degree from Colorado State University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and outdoor activities with her husband and two furry “children” – Pepe’ the Shih Tzu and Tulah the […]

Brian Casull

Brian Casull

Physician, author

Brian Casull is a physician with almost 50 years in service supporting the patient. He served 21 years in the United States Army – including stints as United States Army Medical Corp Pediatrician and Hospital Commander.

Karan Chhabra

Karan Chhabra

Karan Chhabra is a medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who’ll be pursuing In residency training in General Surgery in summer 2016. His career interests revolve around practicing academic surgery and working toward improving the value and quality of surgical care, particularly in the context of healthcare reform and delivery system change.

Kev Coleman

Kev Coleman

Kev Coleman is the Head of Research & Data where he is the author of the HealthPocket InfoStat Reports. Mr. Coleman performs research across the healthcare market, leveraging emerging sources of data from government, nonprofit, and private sectors. Key areas of study for Mr. Coleman include healthcare consumerism and issues associated with the implementation of […]

Daniel E. Dawes

Daniel E. Dawes

Healthcare attorney, author

Daniel E. Dawes, Esq., is a healthcare attorney and the executive director of government affairs and health policy at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. A nationally recognized leader in healthcare law and policy, Daniel has led numerous efforts to address health issues impacting vulnerable, underserved and marginalized populations.

Shawn Dhanak

Shawn Dhanak

Shawn Dhanak is a progressive activist and media strategist. He credits the Bush Administration’s plutocratic politics for motivating him to pursue a career in fighting for a more just and equitable society. His activism began during his time studying at Michigan State University when he worked on several local and state cause and candidate campaigns. […]

Jan Greene

Jan Greene

Jan Greene has been reporting about the health care system for nearly 20 years, covering health, medicine and information technology. Her main interest is helping health care consumers better understand how to access and pay for health care. Her consumer-focused writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Health magazine, OnHealth.com and a variety of […]

Rob Cullen

Rob Cullen

Rob Cullen has been writing about health policy for What If Post since 2009. Founded in 2007, What If Post is a website dedicated to helping non-experts understand America’s massively complex healthcare system and the efforts to reform it. Rob is also the web content manager for the Women’s Campaign Fund and writes their weekly […]

Simon F. Haeder

Simon F. Haeder

Simon F. Haeder is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on several research projects in health policy focusing on the implementation of the ACA and insurance regulation. He is also working on a research project investigating regulatory politics at the president’s Office of Management and Budget, […]

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson

Former Dir. of Public Policy, Blue Shield of CA

Michael Johnson is the former director of public policy at Blue Shield of California (2003 – 2015). He is currently waging a campaign to force the nonprofit health plan to provide greater community benefit.

Arlene Karidis

Arlene Karidis

Arlene Karidis is a health reporter whose career spans two decades. A breast cancer survivor, Karidis says the Affordable Care Act is already helping many of the people who need it most, but that for many more Americans, the best of the reform law is yet to come.

Rachel Klein

Rachel Klein

Families USA

Rachel Klein is the Director of Organizational Strategy and the Enrollment Program Director at Families USA.
In this capacity, she provides strategic policy direction for the organization and oversees all of the organization’s work related to Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and enrollment in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Families USA is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to achieving high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage for all Americans.

Claire McAndrew

Claire McAndrew

Families USA

Claire McAndrew is Private Insurance Program Director at Families USA. She specializes in private insurance issues, including those related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces. She oversees Families USA’s advocacy work on marketplaces and has written numerous reports and briefs on the topic.

Lydia Mitts

Lydia Mitts

FamiliesUSA

Lydia Mitts is a Senior Policy Analyst at Families USA. She specializes in private insurance issues, including market reforms and financial assistance programs under the Affordable Care Act, wellness incentive programs, marketplace plan benefit design, and cost-sharing. She also specializes in health system improvement issues related to consumer incentives in plan design, as well as delivery and payment reform.

Peter Morley

Peter Morley

Disabled patient advocate & healthcare activist

Peter Morley is a disabled patient advocate, a two-time cancer survivor and a healthcare
activist who lives with chronic illness. He has worked closely with a number of elected officials
including his Congresswoman from NY-12, Carolyn Maloney, Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer and members of the Senate HELP Committee. He has held over 200 meetings in
Congress sharing his own journey and the health care stories of people across the United
States.

Laura Packard

Laura Packard

Cancer survivor, health reform advocate

Laura Packard (@lpackard on Twitter) is a stage 4 cancer survivor, national co-chair of Health Care Voter, and founder of Voices of Health Care, a non-profit for adults with serious medical conditions.

R. Scott Poppen, MD MPA

R. Scott Poppen, MD MPA

Doctors for America

Scott practiced primary care internal medicine in California and Utah for 25 years. He has been a member of the management team of private, public, and corporate medical groups.

Ron Pollack

Ron Pollack

Founding Executive Director, Families USA

Ron Pollack is the Founding Executive Director of Families USA, the national organization working to achieve high-quality, affordable health coverage for everyone in the U.S. The Hill, a weekly newspaper covering Congress, named Mr. Pollack one of the nine top nonprofit lobbyists. Modern Healthcare named him one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care.

Kristen Reineke

Kristen Reineke

Kristen Reineke has been working with e-businesses in the supplemental health industry for more than a decade. She is the Chief Marketing Officer for CancerInsurance.com, an independent, web-based marketplace for Americans to shop and compare lump-sum cancer insurance and critical illness insurance policies online.

Mina Schultz

Mina Schultz

Public health educator, cancer survivor

Mina’s interest in health policy and advocacy stems from her personal interaction with the health care system. In 2011, she was diagnosed with and treated for an aggressive form of bone cancer. Upon completion of treatment, she changed careers from language teacher to public health educator.

Eric Schultz

Eric Schultz

Eric Schultz is a 4th-year student at Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans, Louisiana) who will be pursuing residency training in Internal Medicine beginning in Summer 2017. His career interests include academic hospital medicine, quality improvement and patient safety, and improving access for the underserved.

April Seifert, Ph.D.

April Seifert, Ph.D.

April Seifert is an expert in the field of data analysis for the healthcare industry and has spent her career using measurement and analytics to inform decision-making from the payer, consumer, provider, and employer perspectives. April is the President of Decision Analytics, an independent analytical consulting firm with a particular focus on the healthcare industry. Best […]

Anna Tran, M.D.

Anna Tran, M.D.

Anna Tran is a board certified internist and pediatrician. In 2008, after a decade in private practice – where she saw the increasing impediments patients and physicians face – she joined the movement to improve our current health care system. She’s currently the Texas state director for Doctors for America, a national movement of physicians and medical students working […]