ACA: They should have segregated the 'shoppers' from the 'buyers'

[enlightenment]

11. Doesn't matter.

If it's the federal exchange, I presume you choose your state before anything else.
If it's a state exchange, all you're going to see are the plans approved by the state.

The premiums are not the issue at the moment - yes, they vary and the subsidies will modify the amount. People want to see the plans - what the deductibles are, the co-pays, the co-insurance. What is covered, what is not. They want to compare the plans.

Once they have an idea of what they are being offered, they can make a more informed decision about the value of the product. Do you honestly think people are just going by the weird "metal" coding . . . "Hi, my name is Fred. I'm single, 27, non-smoker, no dependents. I make $30000 annually and I'd like a Bronze plan, please."

My state only has four insurers in its exchange - each insurer has multiple plans in each "metal" tier. Each one is slightly different. People want to know what those differences are and how they compare. Once they know that, they can look at the premiums and sign up to determine their subsidy, if any.