Excerpt: For all the effort in recent years to make patients act more like consumers, people are still unable to buy health care the way they might buy a television. The reasons are many: Health care prices vary depending on where you live and who your insurance company is; doctors can tell you how much they charge, but they can't necessarily tell you how much you owe (unless you are paying a simple co-pay); and even if you know how much you owe, paying it becomes a hurdle if you don't have enough cash in a health savings account to do so. While most people are willing to go into debt to finance a car, few believe they should do so to fix a broken arm. Some technology companies, however, are addressing the difficulties consumers face paying for health care.

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