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Open enrollment begins with window shopping

nystateofhealth.ny.gov

The second year of open enrollment for health insurance in both state and federal exchanges began over the weekend.

U.S. Health and Human Services opened HealthCare.gov early with a new “window-shopping” feature.

Jessica Kendall, director of the Enrollment Assister Network for FamiliesUSA, says the changes intend to make the process of purchasing health insurance easier.

"Consumers want to find the plan that fits their budget and they want to know what coverage will actually be," Kendall said. "We know that window shopping plays a vital role in the consumer experience."

Experts nationwide speculate attracting people to open enrollment this time will be more challenging.

Directors of the New York health exchange plan to use social media and text message updates to reach more young people without insurance.

Open enrollment runs from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15.