In addition to understanding plan benefits and rates, consumers become better informed when they can evaluate costs for various medical procedures.  A new site recently released by California state officials is an excellent resource for purchasers of health insurance.  They can now look up the average cost(s) to treat the most common medical conditions based on geographic location, as well as review the quality ratings of various providers.

The consumer site can be accessed here:

Barbara Feder Ostrov of Kaiser Health News covered the details of this new consumer site, along with links to other useful sites for quality reviews of hospitals (affiliated with Medicare), and CalQualityCare.org, "which provides information on the state’s hospitals, doctor groups, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health and hospice services, adult day care, and services for the developmentally disabled."  You can access the full article by clicking on the KHN logo below:

Related article on this new state website in the Los Angeles Times:

JS Downey Insurance Service is always here to help consumers gain a thorough understanding of their plan options based on needs and budget.  Now our clients have an additional resource to help make the best decisions for themselves and their families.