In a press release today Consumers for Health Care Choices announced the creation with 25 other healthcare organizations of a new Health Care Freedom Coalition. (Disclosure: I am a member of Consumers for Health Care Choices)

The press release stated that Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) was on hand to welcome the group and applaud the push for health care reform based on free markets rather than top-down, expanded government programs. He said there are 110 Members of Congress "ready to hit the airwaves" in support of the Freedom Agenda.

The release also reported that Merrill Matthews, of the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, welcomed the reporters in attendance and introduced the other speakers, which included --

• Roberto de Posada, Latino Coalition
• Matt Kibbe, FreedomWorks
• Jim Martin, 60 Plus
• Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
• Greg Scandlen, Consumers for Health Care Choices
• Pete Sepp, National Taxpayers Union

The Coalition's Statement of principles said, "We, the Health Care Freedom Coalition, believe the solution to the nation's health care problems is to make health care affordable for all Americans through a competitive, open, and transparent health care system where America's families choose their own doctor and health care plans."

The statement went on to say that any comprehensive reform proposal should include the following --

1. Free Choice of Doctors, Hospitals, and Health Plans
2. HSAs Option for all Americans
3. Tax Fairness and Simplification
4. Affordable Health Insurance for Small Business
5. Buying Health Insurance Across State Lines
6. Health Care Price Disclosure
7. High Risk Pools for People Who Are Sick
8. Convert DSH Payments into Health Insurance Block Grants
9. Allow nonprofit, faith-based alternatives for health insurance
10. More competition between facilities

The statement explains each of these ideas in more detail and also warns of things that should be avoided. The complete statement is available at CAHI's web site.

While I would like to expand on each of the items in the list, for today health care price disclosure worth talking about. In no other economic transaction do we have so little financial disclosure and negotiation. Health care purchases are economic transactions. Just ask those who do not have health insurance. They must pay for every purchase or depend on those providers (emergency rooms) who must provide care without demanding payment up front. Try that at Farm Fresh, your friendly auto dealer, or the DMV. All others with some sort of health care payer scheme only have to worry about our own share of the price, if any.

We are not confronted with the actual price of the care we demand. As a result we have an occult system with choices not being made on a rational basis by those receiving the services. If health care were paid for by the consumer, then price and performance would become direct issues to the consumer and more rational choices of what constitutes value to the consumer would be made.