The challenges are great. Healthcare costs, prices and insurance rules are seldom transparent. Healthcare quality can be difficult to measure. The major stakeholders often benefit by keeping consumers in the dark.

So we are extremely pleased to announce an important advance in these efforts.
CR has launched California Healthcare Compare, in partnership with the California Department of Insurance and health policy experts at the University of California San Francisco.

Using this new web site, Californians can compare hospitals and medical groups' quality in the areas of maternity care, hip and knee replacement, back pain, colon cancer screening and diabetes. The site also reveals estimated regional costs for more than 100 different medical topics, ranging from appendicitis to urinary tract infections, illustrating dramatic price differences from region to region. Plus, Consumer Reports provides consumers with expert advice on how to navigate the healthcare system.

This is a first step. The CDI hopes that doctors, hospitals and insurers within the state will see the benefit of sharing more detailed information, particularly for consumers who pay a large share of their medical bills.

And we urge regulators in other states to follow California's lead on this important path toward healthcare consumer empowerment.