Welcome to Healthcare 2.0. We've all witnessed Obama's revolutionary social media campaigns, from change.org to whitehouse.gov and onward. We've heard Obama talk about transparency and participation, and we've been sometimes disappointed, sometimes inspired. The latest effort comes in the form of Healthcare.gov, and I'll admit I'm impressed. In a 180 degree turnaround from the Clinton administration's reform attempt, this website acts as a landmark of transparency and public participation in the implementation of the new health care policies. The site is user friendly and answers questions the same way the audience is asking them.
Some features that I am particularly impressed with:
- The top banner: "Health care is getting better. So is HealthCare.gov. Help us improve by adding your comments where you see the comment symbol." The encouragement of Web 2.0 participation in the site will allow people to share their comments about site content and usability and perhaps about health care, as well. Will Healthcare.gov be listening?
- "Explore your coverage options" dropdown menu on the homepage. This allows you to pick your state and clarify if you are looking for coverage, as well as your marital and health status to find the answers about healthcare that apply to you. The personalized customization is critical for this particular audience and I think its a great addition.
- The top navigation: Find insurance options; Learn about prevention; Compare care quality; Understand the new law; Information for you. The titles are easily understood and in the audience's language. They are framed as the questions the audience has, rather than answers the government has.
The site also has a top 5 things to know section, video and chats, and quick links to YouTube, Twitter, and Email updates.
Overall, I'm very impressed. As the debate about health reform rages on, I'll be interested to see how others view the effort. Check it out at http://www.healthcare.gov.
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1 comment:
I agree that this website represents a huge step in the right direction. It would be interesting to track this website and examine whether suggested changes are actually incorporated into it, based on feedback it receives from its features like "Help us improve by adding your comments where you see the comment symbol." At the moment, features like this are an important sign of transparency, but as time goes on, the degree to which these comments and responses are answered will be far more important. It's definitely easier to ask for comments and feedback than it is to actually incorporate these comments and makes changes, so it would be fascinating to stay on top of this website in the coming months and evaluate what further changes are made.
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