Mark
Content editor
Comparison, cost, and consumer decision content.
Evidence and publishing standards
Editorial policy
Primary sources, explicit uncertainty, exact plan identity, and no invented expertise or outcomes.
Source hierarchy
What we use first
- Controlling record. Current law, official notice, live Marketplace result, policy, SBC, directory, formulary, or program document.
- Government and program source. CMS, HealthCare.gov, Medicaid.gov, Medicare.gov, IRS, Department of Labor, HHS, or a state exchange or agency.
- Issuer source. Used for exact product identity, plan documents, network, formulary, and current contact information.
- Secondary context. Used only when clearly attributed and not as a substitute for eligibility, coverage, or plan facts.
Writing and updating
Pages should answer a defined visitor question, distinguish general rules from plan-specific facts, state what cannot be concluded, and link the source needed for the next action. Update dates reflect substantive review or change, not an automatic timestamp.
YMYL safeguards
We do not invent reviewers, license numbers, ratings, quotes, savings, availability, provider participation, study results, or user experiences. We do not name a universal best plan. Eligibility, claim, tax, legal, and medical conclusions are left to the responsible official process or qualified professional.
Commercial independence
Editorial ordering is not sold. If advertising, sponsorship, or referral compensation is introduced later, it must be labeled and kept separate from the comparison method.
Corrections
Factual corrections should identify the page, statement, source, and date. Material corrections should be reflected promptly and documented on the corrections page when useful to readers.
Editorial team
Named content editors
Editors are assigned by subject area and review pages for clarity, source alignment, update dates, and unsupported claims.
Helen
Content editor
State Marketplace routes and local coverage research.
Melody
Content editor
Plan types, households, and coverage guides.
Rigley
Content editor
Interactive tools, carrier research, and source checks.
Practical next step
Use this information with a current plan record
Editorial policy is most useful when the household, location, plan year, and enrollment route are defined. Keep the exact plan name or program, official source, date checked, and any unresolved question together.
Compare costs, provider access, prescriptions, coverage rules, and protection limits before acting. Confirm eligibility and enrollment through the responsible official or authorized channel.
Verification record
Check the page against a current, plan-specific record
General information becomes actionable only after it is matched to the same household, address, enrollment route, and plan year. Keep unknown values visible instead of filling them with estimates.
Identify the exact option
Record the legal issuer or responsible program, full plan or arrangement name, plan ID when available, service area, effective dates, and official source. Similar product names can use different networks, formularies, costs, or coverage rules.
Compare a complete scenario
Use the same expected services, prescriptions, provider needs, and household facts for each option. Put premium, employer contribution or tax credit, deductible, copays, coinsurance, prescription cost, and the in-network out-of-pocket limit on the same annual basis.
Keep evidence with the decision
Save the Summary of Benefits and Coverage, policy documents, provider directory, formulary, source URL, date checked, and unresolved questions. Confirm eligibility, enrollment, provider participation, and time-sensitive rules through the responsible Marketplace, employer, insurer, provider, pharmacy, or qualified professional before acting.