Tommy Leep spent weeks researching insurance plans after leaving his job at a Silicon Valley venture capital firm and striking out on his own.

This past December, he talked to a broker, bought a temporary plan to help buy him some time, and browsed through Covered California, the state-run insurance shopping site, for a low-cost option. “I was afraid that if I hurt myself, it would cost me a lot of money,” says the 29-year-old, who enjoys playing soccer, running, and surfing. But after about 10 minutes on the site, he gave up. “It was a disaster trying to find what was good for me,” he remembers. He wanted to know if he could still see his doctor, how much getting injured would cost him, and what he’d be spending over the next year, but finding this info was just too difficult.