Washington State launched its online health-insurance exchange today, as part of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

If you are at all curious about what the Exchange has to offer, make sure you are in fact on the WA State official website: www.wahealthplanfinder.org.

The website’s home page looks like this:

Beware of Copycats
Quite a few websites with very similar names to the WA exchange have cropped up. Some of these websites ask for personal information, such as phone number, email, etc. And they might offer to have a representative contact you.

Here is one example: www.washingtonhealthplanfinder.org – which search engines offer up as an option if you’re seeking the WA health care exchange. (This website has since been modified to remove “Welcome to the exchange!” on its home page.)

The home page looks like this. In small type upper left, it says: “Licensed Washington Insurance Agency.

Playing It Safe
Another way to ensure you are on the WA State health insurance exchange is to go to the federal health care website: www.healthcare.gov. Then click on “Find the Marketplace in Your State.”

In the October 2013 issue of Navigator, LNWM will provide an overview of the WA State health insurance exchange and how it interacts with existing insurance coverage.