Well, I don’t plan to blog too often about products or services I don’t like, but for the sake of humanity I think it is worthwhile to talk for a few minutes about eHealthInsurance. Choosing a health insurance provider is like pulling teeth – there are dozens of them and they all use confusing terms and have dozens of plans with prices that can outrun your income. eHealthInsurance seeks to make your life easier by compiling a number of health care providers at one spot – honing in on the plans that are best for you – and allowing you to apply right then and there online.

What did I like about the service? Well, the initial pages of the website where straightforward – enter my name, age, height and weight as well as that of my wife Charity. I also entered my zip code, then a large number of plans were made available to choose from and I could look at them by popularity, company, price, etc. Okay, all well and good.

I was a bit overwhelmed even with all this streamlining so I decided to call in. The phone menu was a little longer than necessary – but not bad comparatively (e.g. Verizon). I talked to a representative named Keith. Now I was impressed. This guy knew what he was talking about, walked me through the process, recommended the best plan for my needs, and was genuinely polite and friendly – I thought I would love eHealthInsurance.

He told me to get back on the site and fill out the online application and this is where things when downhill. While the main site has a nice design and UI, the form is a nightmare. Part of this is the insurance companies’ fault. They ask questions out the wazoo. But still, the UI design is pretty bad, so I’m going to highlight the issues here and hope eHealthInsurance stumbles upon this page and hears my concerns. They have a great nebulous idea, but until these issues are resolved I can’t recommend the service wholeheartedly:

• When asked to select a doctor they allow you to perform a lookup of physicians. This is great, except for the fact that once you find the physician there is no way to automatically import that physician’s information into your application. You have to type it in by hand!
• There form validation fields are all messed up. For example, even though we hadn’t taken medications for certain ailments the validation made us select a treatment begin and end date! And this was even so after we checked the “none” box to note we hadn’t taken any medications.
• After asking about our ailments and treatment they proceeded to have another entire form that asked just for all our prescription medication treatments – again. This information should have been imported from earlier in the document.
• Just these changes could make a huge difference in the user friendliness of the form. For a few thousand (dollars) more they could throw in a nice web 2.0 ajax enabled ui that would allow for streamlined forms that could be half the length (e.g. the page asking what ailments you have and the page allowing you to enter details about ailments/treatment could be made into one single page).

Well that is about it. I’m not saying eHealthInsurance isn’t a good company. In fact, if I had to say, “go here to get a health insurance quote.” I would probably still send people to eHealthInsurance…But not before warning those I tell about the site to be prepared for some tears and anguish before the job is completed.

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I didn’t have AAA for years, but one Christmas my mom gave me a subscription, now I wouldn’t leave home without it. AAA at its most basic offers roadside assistance when your vehicle breaks down – not just your vehicle but any vehicle you might be driving. AAA will send out a tow truck, someone with a few gallons of gas, or a locksmith to unlock your doors if you left your keys in the car (again!).

I know some people feel like its a waste of money – but for $60-$100 a year? A single tow truck pull will cost you that much easy! I’ve used AAA on several occasions in the three or four years I’ve now been a member. There was the time I hit a pothole and flattened my tire – AAA towed me to my mechanic. There was the time my wife left her keys in the car and we called AAA and they unlocked the vehicle quickly and efficiently. These and other occasions make it so worth it. Instead of finding a yellow pages to call a mechanic we simply call AAA and they take care of the entire process for us.

There are lots of additional benefits to being a AAA member as well. Want to eat out? Go to a hotel? Take a vacation? AAA offers significant discounts on a variety of products and services. Perhaps you are planning a vacation. They can help you decide the best route or rent a vehicle. They offer auto insurance with lower rates and send out a regular magazine with articles about safety and vacations.

Being part of AAA is sort of similar to being in a family. You know that they exist to care for you. I highly recommend them.

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