Public Impact
PlanVoyager is a public-interest technology initiative addressing critical challenges in U.S. healthcare access and cost efficiency through transparent, AI-driven plan analysis.
Healthcare Plan Complexity Creates National-Scale Barriers
The complexity of U.S. health insurance markets creates significant barriers to appropriate coverage, contributing to both underinsurance and inefficient healthcare spending.
Americans remain uninsured despite ACA availability
U.S. Census Bureau, 2023
Annual U.S. healthcare expenditure
CMS National Health Expenditure Data, 2023
Adults report difficulty understanding health insurance
Kaiser Family Foundation Survey, 2023
Marketplace-eligible individuals do not enroll due to confusion
HHS Office of Health Policy, 2022
The Information Asymmetry Problem
Unlike traditional markets, health insurance involves significant information asymmetry. Consumers face hundreds of plan options with complex terminology, variable cost structures, and coverage nuances that require specialized knowledge to evaluate effectively. This asymmetry disproportionately affects populations without access to employer HR departments or professional insurance brokers—including self-employed individuals, gig workers, early retirees, and rural communities.
PlanVoyager's Public Interest Mission
PlanVoyager is not designed to sell insurance. Our mission is to reduce informational barriers that prevent Americans from accessing appropriate healthcare coverage.
What PlanVoyager Does
- Provides free, neutral plan analysis using public CMS data
- Calculates subsidy estimates using official IRS methodology
- Translates complex insurance terminology into plain language
- Directs users to HealthCare.gov for official enrollment
What PlanVoyager Does Not Do
- ✕Sell insurance policies or receive commissions
- ✕Provide tax, legal, or financial advice
- ✕Share user data with insurers or brokers
- ✕Make enrollment or eligibility determinations
Public Benefit Contributions
PlanVoyager contributes to national healthcare objectives through measurable public benefits.
By helping individuals identify plans aligned with their actual healthcare utilization patterns, PlanVoyager reduces the nationwide problem of overinsurance and underinsurance—both of which contribute to healthcare cost inefficiencies.
Clearer understanding of coverage options leads to better utilization of preventive services, which reduces long-term healthcare costs and improves population health outcomes.
Self-employed individuals, gig workers, early retirees, and rural populations often lack access to employer-sponsored insurance guidance. PlanVoyager provides free, neutral analysis to these underserved groups.
Complex insurance terminology and opaque pricing create barriers to appropriate coverage. AI-driven plain-language explanations democratize access to insurance literacy.
Alignment with U.S. National Priorities
PlanVoyager's approach aligns with documented federal healthcare policy objectives.
Aligned with federal priorities to reduce healthcare spending through informed consumer decision-making and appropriate plan selection.
Supports the national shift toward preventive care by helping users understand and utilize covered preventive services.
Demonstrates how publicly available CMS data can be leveraged to create tools that serve the public interest.
Addresses disparities in insurance literacy and access to guidance across socioeconomic and geographic populations.
Scalability & Long-Term Impact
PlanVoyager's architecture leverages CMS Exchange Public Use Files, which cover all 50 states and territories. The platform can analyze plans for any U.S. location where ACA marketplace coverage is available, enabling national-scale impact without geographic limitations.
The system is designed to adapt to annual policy changes, including Federal Poverty Level updates, Applicable Percentage adjustments, and plan year data refreshes. This ensures continued accuracy as healthcare policy evolves.
Built entirely on publicly available government datasets, PlanVoyager demonstrates how open data initiatives can be leveraged to create public-benefit technology. The methodology is documented and auditable, supporting transparency and reproducibility.
Sources & References
PlanVoyager relies exclusively on authoritative government and research sources.
Exchange Public Use Files, National Health Expenditure Data
https://www.cms.gov
Office of Health Policy Reports, Federal Poverty Level Guidelines
https://www.hhs.gov
Revenue Procedures for Premium Tax Credit Calculations
https://www.irs.gov
Health Insurance Coverage and Access Research
https://www.kff.org
Health Insurance Coverage Statistics
https://www.census.gov
Healthcare Cost and Coverage Reports
https://www.gao.gov
Learn More About Our Approach
Explore our methodology and research on healthcare plan analysis.