Obamacare website to feature new tools

By Robert King, Robert King

Published December 20, 2015

With Obamacare's open enrollment less than two weeks away, administration officials are touting a slew of new features to make signing up for healthcare easier.

But it is not clear when new tools to ensure that a plan includes a consumer's doctor or covers his meds will be available.

Open enrollment starts Nov. 1, and healthcare.gov will be used by residents in 38 states to sign up or re-enroll in Obamacare health insurance coverage.

New features available on Nov. 1 include a calculator to help enrollees estimate their out-of-pocket healthcare costs according to the plan they select. But the Obama administration couldn't say specifically when two new search tools are going to be available.

The administration is testing doctor and prescription drug lookup features where a consumer can check to see if a plan includes his doctor and covers the prescription drugs he takes.