Information is a word that's bandied about in no small measure in this country when the subject of health care comes up. It costs too much, some say. Too many people go without it in any given year, others add. Health care costs gobble up any boost in wages, statistics show. Medicare and Medicaid threaten to consume the national budget, still others cry out.

Several factors contribute to the woes of the U.S. health care system, a system that costs more than any other in the world without exhibiting a higher level of quality or better outcomes. One factor is employer fatigue with rising costs. General Motors once said it spends more on health benefits for its employees and retirees than it does on steel for its vehicles. Employers are tired of the increases.

Another factor is the fragmented way in which the system runs, which leads to a lack of coherence on clinical guidelines and even definitions of what constitutes effective care. There are many other factors contributing to the health care system's woes, but the last that will be covered here is the need for comparative information that consumers can use to make informed decisions.