Consumers for Health Care Choices

http://www.chcchoices.org

"CHCC is a 501(C)4 not-for-profit grass roots organization that
represents the views of the health care consumer to policy makers and
industry leadership.

The membership consists of consumers from all walks of life, and all
professions from across the nation. Members with expertise in health
care issues are encouraged to take an active role in the
organization's efforts --- giving speeches, writing articles, op-eds,
and letters to the editor on behalf of the empowered health care
consumer.

Our Mission

One of the missing ingredients in the Consumer Driven Health Care
movement is the voice of the consumer.

In a health system that puts health care consumers in the driver's
seat, American consumers make millions of daily decisions about what
to buy and what not to buy, what services to use and which not to
use.

These actions will have a greater impact on reforming the nation's
health care system than all of the speeches, op-eds, policy papers,
and media interviews in the world. But up until now the very people
that will have the greatest impact have not been heard from.

Now all of that has changed. Consumers for Health Care Choices is the
voice of the consumer, providing the missing key element in health
care reform---consumer representation. CHCC works to accomplish the
goal of consumer choice in health care through the following efforts:

Federal Government

CHCC has a Washington presence, and works with Congress, the
Administration, and federal agencies to focus on making consumer
empowerment the unifying theme of national health system reform.

State Government

CHCC encourages states to adopt consumer driven health care
principles in their own programs, including Medicaid and public
employee benefits.

We work to convince states to roll-back regulations that impede
the growth of consumer driven health care and competitive markets.

Employers

CHCC works to persuade employers to entrust health care decisions
to their employees.
We urge employers to provide free choice of health care coverage
to their employees.
We educate employers on the advantages of a defined contribution
approach to benefits.

Medical providers

CHCC encourages hospitals to provide transparent pricing and to
recognize the value of self-pay patients.
We encourage physicians to move away from third-party contracts
that impede their ability to work in the interests of their patients.

Insurance Industry

CHCC urges insurance companies to return to true two-party
insurance arrangements and enable consumers to pay directly for
routine services through the use of HSAs and HRAs.

We encourage insurance companies to honor the relationship between
patients and physicians by empowering patients to make their own cost-
benefit decisions about treatment alternatives.

The future is very bright for health care consumerism. America has
tried virtually every other scheme imaginable to balance the
conflicting demands of access, quality and cost.

None of it has worked very well. It is long past time to use the
power of consumers operating in a free market to obtain the optimum
value of the health care resources available.

If you agree---join now, and finally have a voice.