Need to Pick an Insurance Plan? Start Here

President Obama once promised that the Obamacare exchanges would make buying insurance as easy as selecting a TV on Amazon. Just a few clicks, and you could comparison-shop and pick the plan that’s right for you. In a way, the president was right: The marketplaces set up under the Affordable Care Act make a really confusing and expensive purchase a lot easier. But insurance remains a complex financial product. Making the best choice is going to depend on your values and preferences, and some good luck in predicting your future health. That’s why, even three years into Obamacare, many customers are still relying on one-on-one meetings with experts, who ask the right questions and help steer people to the plan that’s likely to be best for them. And it’s the reason I still get calls every year from friends and colleagues asking me which employer plan they should choose. We wanted to try to help make a tricky choice a little easier. Obamacare customers can start selecting their 2017 plans today, and fall is open enrollment season for a lot of companies, too.