OLYMPIA, WA--(Marketwired - Nov 20, 2014) - Just in time for 2015 health insurance plan enrollment decisions, a new free online website, PlanExpert (www.plan.expert), calculates the total cost of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) insurance policy options, including deductibles and copays, aiding families in picking the best plan with the lowest total cost. After consumers answer a few questions about family size, medical needs and the prescription drugs they take, PlanExpert accurately calculates the total annual "out-of-pocket" cost of different available plans, including premiums, deductibles and co-pays. Healthcare is one of the largest annual financial costs consumers face and choosing the correct plan is extremely important.

A recent study by a Columbia University professor showed that Americans are paying $9 billion more for medical insurance than they should by over-insuring themselves in their selection of health insurance. At the same time, however, millions of families are under-insuring themselves in order to minimize their monthly premium payments, and then find that they cannot afford the medical fees that they're exposed to under their plan deductibles.

"Minimizing the total cost of medical care under the different insurance plans is a real puzzle given the range of different plan designs, medical deductibles, drug costs, co-pays, and so forth," said Phil Carter, one of the creators of PlanExpert. "We've built a tool that simplifies all that and ranks plans from least to most expensive on an all-in basis."

PlanExpert also features clear explanations of the various costs of health insurance and also has a supportive team of licensed agents who can help refine the plan selection process and enroll users in the best insurance plan for them.