It would have been good for the AP to scrutinize the rates listed on Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation website. The preliminary rates show fairly high premiums, especially for the better plans that offer much more comprehensive coverage than the bronze policy often used to make the claim for low rates. Take Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, for example. The standard gold plan, which would cover 80 percent of the costs of medical care, would cost a family $1,048 a month; the standard silver plan covering 70 percent would cost them $907. A single person would pay $524 for a gold plan and $454 for a silver. The standard plan contains all the essential minimum benefits set out in Obamacare. These rates will be somewhat lower when they are finalized. The Green Mountain Care Board ordered a 4.3 percent reduction from the rates for Blue Cross and a 5.3 percent reduction for MVP, the other carrier selling on the exchange. Of course, for the 60 percent of those who buy in the individual market, tax subsidies will further reduce their premiums.

Some plans came with an asterisk. They were either consumer-driven health plans or high deductible plans. But, what does that mean? Not finding an explanation, I consulted Vermont Health Connect, which has a glossary, but no definition for either term. (The glossary links to two government websites, one of which offers a bit more information). Consumer-driven plans, narrowly defined, refer to one tier of health insurance coverage that uses tax-favored health savings accounts or health reimbursement accounts. Policyholders use these accounts to pay medical expenses. High deductible plans come with high deductibles which policyholders use to pay expenses before insurance pays.

Shoppers shouldn’t have to consult a zillion websites to understand what these are. Seems to me that reporters could help their readers out by looking for clarity of information and calling out the gaps. Good advice for those on the exchange watch beat.

Follow @USProjectCJR for more posts from this author and the rest of the United States Project team.

Related content:

Exchange Watch: the ongoing game of Spin the Rates

Untangling Obamacare: What’s behind the rate increases?

Exchange Watch: What’s going on with New York?

Trudy Lieberman is a fellow at the Center for Advancing Health and a longtime contributing editor to the Columbia Journalism Review. She is the lead writer for The Second Opinion, CJR’s healthcare desk, which is part of our United States Project on the coverage of politics and policy. Follow her on Twitter @Trudy_Lieberman.