Navigating health care: Where to turn for more information or help

1) The Kaiser Family Foundation

Compiles comprehensive data analysis and information to help you make informed decisions regarding your health care. KFF releases annual surveys with insurance costs that show the increasing costs and breaks down the latest legislative efforts. Their site has a dedicated health cost landing page as well.

2) The Fair Health Consumer Project

An independent, national nonprofit organization that helps the consumer understand their health care costs and health coverage and to bring transparency to health care costs and insurance. Users can lookup procedures by zip code to get an estimated cost.

3) Prescription drug savings

Websites that allow you to shop for the best price for your prescriptions:

• Pharmacy Checker
• Single Care
• Good Rx

4) Florida Health Finder

A service of Florida’s Agency for Healthcare Administration that seeks to provide greater transparency for Flordia’s health care consumers. The site offers a free webinar that explains all the various resources available including how to understand your Patient Bill of Rights, research the performance of a certain provider, and be able to ask for a charge estimate.

5) HospitalInspections.org

This website, run by the Associaton of Health Care Journalists, aims to make federal inspection reports easier to access, search and analyze

6) Clear Health Costs

A journalism company that seeks to bring transparency to the health care marketplace by telling people what things actually cost. Consumers can search the cost of procedures by zip code to get an idea of costs. The company also teams with newsrooms across the country to help resolve medical billing disputes.

7) Healthcare Blue Book 

A member-based service that allows you to shop for quality care at a “fair price”.

8) The Florida Department of Health

FDOH has a licensing search site that allows you to check out your medical provider’s licensing, discipline, and financial responsibility information. You can also file a complaint against a provider with the Department of Health.

9) The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services

has a host of information for Medicare recipients regarding providers, plan selection, and pricing. CMS also provides research on everything from medicare fraud to opioid addiction as well as a bevy of information on federal health care policy.

10) The Patient Advocate Foundation

A non-profit that provides direct services to patients with chronic, life-threatening, and debilitating diseases. PAF services include financial aid and CoPay relief for patients battling debilitating diseases who experience large out of pocket costs associated with that care.

11) Athos Health

Helps businesses help their employees navigate health care costs. Members can request to have their bills reviewed for errors, get support for denied claims and get help negotiated out-of-network charges.