Websites to help you save money on health care costs

One reason people have so much trouble finding affordable healthcare is the lack of price transparency. But a new website -- clearhealthcosts.com -- is doing the work by collecting reported and crowdsourced self-pay prices on everything from dental fillings to vasectomies. It also lists the prices that Medicare pays for certain procedures, to let patients argue for "the Medicare price"; lists caveats of what clinics do and do not offer; and boasts an informative blog.

Healthcarebluebook.com quotes the "fair price" that providers accept from insurers for a wide variety of medical, dental and audiology services, arranged by ZIP code. It also offers "binding price agreements" you can print out and take to providers to prevent runaway costs.

Searching for info on how the health exchanges will work for you in New York State? Here's the official website: healthbenefitexchange .ny.gov. You can also find more information about health care exchanges at exchangefacts.org.