Health Insurance Information Gap

CHICAGO - When Margaret Zilm needed cataract surgery, she wanted to know what it would cost. Her health insurance policy has a $5,000 deductible, and her money was on the line.

But one eye doctor's office told Zilm it had no idea what her health insurance company would pay. The insurer wouldn't give out the information. And an official at Missouri's Department of Insurance said such figures were confidential under medical providers' contracts with insurers.

Zilm's experience pinpoints a growing problem. Health insurers are aggressively marketing medical policies with high deductibles - the amount people pay before coverage kicks in. Many experts contend these products will motivate Americans to shop for medical care, as they do for cars or computers.

But basic data about what services cost generally aren't available. Medical providers and insurers consider this to be highly sensitive, competitive information, and their contracts require that it remain secret.

That leaves consumers with more financial responsibility for their care but without the tools to manage these expenses.