Transparency is important but in and of itself it's not enough. What's really important is the ability of transparency to lead to price reduction. Regardless of government intervention, this is likely going to happen soon. Premiums have been getting so high that employers and individual consumers of health care have been opting for plans with (much) higher deductibles to lower their monthly costs a bit. And it's not just private insurance - with the recent proposal by the federal government, in an area where Obama and the House GOP seem to agree, to combine Medicare part A and part B premiums will essentially have the same effect - higher deductibles for most seniors (currently very low for those who just use services for doctors visits). This will require consumers to shop around a bit more, and since they are paying more out of their pockets, they will demand more transparency in pricing, and it will come. Changes will not happen because the uninsured demand or need it. It will happen when the insured insist on it.