Sites for More Eyes

Pro: The hospital comparison feature provides important information for patients who may want to question their doctors on the choice of hospital.

Con: CareFirst says it has a treatment cost estimator, listing prices in 22 major categories, such as the treatment of infections, heart conditions and diseases, with additional estimates for the treatment of hundreds of specific conditions. Even though a spokesman described where on the site this estimator was located, this user could not find it.

What's ahead: CareFirst plans to add a "coverage advisor" next month to help direct members to plan types, based on their health status and other factors. CareFirst also promises more price and quality information on doctors in 2007.

Cigna

At http://www.cigna.com/ , Cigna offers its members tools to find pricing on 48 common inpatient, diagnostic and outpatient procedures, giving an estimated average cost of a specific procedure at a given facility. Even more impressive, the pricing is tagged to a member's specific policy, telling an individual what he can expect to pay out of pocket.

A search for total knee replacements among area hospitals, for example, shows that the procedure costs Cigna and its members $6,160 to $9,298 at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, with an expected out-of-pocket cost of $1,516 to $1,830 for a member with a $1,000-deductible health plan and a 10 percent co-insurance obligation for inpatient services. The tool also provides ratings (one to three stars) for "cost efficiency" and "patient outcomes" at each hospital.

Meanwhile, a quick check to find the going rates for a CT scan shows a price of more than $1,000 at Providence Hospital and Reston Hospital Center -- more than three times the $280 price at Computed Tomography Associates, PC, and Clinical Radiologists. A Cigna member who has the coverage described above and who has already met his deductible would therefore pay $28 to more than $100 for this scan.

Cigna also offers members and prospective members a chance to estimate which type of Cigna plan is best suited for them based on personal details about their health and other characteristics.

Pro: The tools are tailored to members and their specific benefit plan. This makes the experience of searching for good treatment at a good price personal and powerful. As impressive as the pricing tools are for procedures, the drug price tool may be what saves the average member big bucks.

"When people talk about how can consumerism and transparency take costs out of the health-care system, here's a classic example," noted Cigna spokesman Joseph Mondy. "Once you see this, you'd never buy the brand-name version when you can save yourself, the plan and the health system so much money."

Con: Cigna runs caveats along with its pricing tools for inpatient and outpatient procedures: "Your actual costs may vary significantly from the estimated average cost figure provided." Moreover, the explanation behind the three-star quality rating system may lead to some head-scratching.

What's ahead: Cigna plans to bolster its physician data in 2007.

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic

Like CareFirst, Kaiser offers members handy tools to track their medical care and refill prescriptions at http://www.kaiserpermanente.org/ , with a focus on staying well and managing chronic conditions. But Kaiser is playing catch-up when it comes to giving members cost and quality tools.