Insights into Health Care

After a recent trip to my local drugstore, I felt better.  No, it wasn’t the medication my doctor prescribed that did the trick.  It was, surprisingly, the very experience of visiting the store, because here, finally, was a drugstore that was actually a pleasure to be in.

My wife recently gave birth to our son. That spectacular event triggered a flurry of communications from our health plan — namely, plan statements. Plan statements get mailed following a provider visit. They explain what procedures were performed, what the provider billed the plan, and what the consumer’s cost is (if any).

Up until recently we really didn’t pay much attention to our statements, as we rarely visit the doctor. But after the birth, larger bills started to float in — it was time we looked closer.

2008 marked a historic shift. For the first time in history, more US adults started their health research online, rather than from print or even their medical practitioners. What do they want you to know?