[Editor's note: This is the author's personal account of going through HealthCare.gov.]

There are three ways to apply for coverage on the federal exchange: online, by phone or in person. Most would consider online the easiest way to go — and now that consumers can shop for plans before deciding to register for an account, the process is less tedious than it once was. But you’ll still find yourself clicking through page after page, entering more information than you’d imagine is necessary, before you can register for a plan.

Finding sample plans and prices isn’t as easy as you’d think, either; for one thing, the mechanisms that allow you to preview a plan keep moving around. At time of publication, you had to select your state — assuming you’re in a state using a federal exchange instead of a state one — and click the “preview plans and prices” hyperlink in the copy that pops up to explain how exchange coverage in Missouri will work. This takes you to an information page, “How can I see Marketplace health plans and prices before I fill out an application?” Find the hyperlinked “plans and sample prices” in the question-and-answer section and click that.

From here, you’ll be directed to indicate whether you need individual/family or small-business coverage and whether you want health or dental insurance. And at the bottom of these pages is a note that indicates these prices don’t incorporate reduced costs through tax credits; final price quotes are only available after completing an application — which makes it difficult to decide what type of plan you might choose.

For a family of three in Boone County, Mo., an income between $19,530 and $78,120 can qualify you for discounts; a catastrophic insurance plan, which covers only catastrophic health care incidents, starts at $473.52 for a family of three, and a gold plan, which covers up to 80 percent of the total cost of care, will run a family of three as much as $1,177.16 per month.

Registering for an account involves entering an email address, selecting a user name and password and choosing three security questions. A confirmation email gets sent, and after entering your user name and password, you’re finally in.

This leads to the first of the really personal information requests: Social Security numbers, phone numbers and street addresses. After filling in those fields, you’re directed to a page that confirms your identity, and then — after more confirmation screens — you can finally start shopping for plans.

Overall, there are more than a dozen screens to click through before you can actually buy a plan, and that’s assuming the site is up and running as it should be.

Also read: What went wrong with HealthCare.Gov – and what now

Instant Insights /

A walkthrough of HealthCare.gov

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