A new trend among health insurance agencies has been to publish the prices charged at area hospitals for common procedures online, theoretically allowing consumers to compare and shop around.

But will it make affordable health insurance more affordable? Will it really minimize costs?

No one knows just yet, but the Dallas News takes a skeptical stance, questioning everything from the reliability of that information, to the notion that affordable health insurance covers enough in the first place.

According to the article, "the information [posted by insurance agencies] still isn't enough for consumers to make life-or-death decisions," and with health care information changing as rapidly as it does, will these sites represent the newest info?

And then there's a lack of insurance regulations across the country in different states. In one state an affordable health insurance policy will cover a great deal more than in others, which makes it very important not only to shop around, but to know exactly what is and isn't covered.

Finally, in many cases very good doctors and hospitals attract the sickest patients, so scanning through "death rates" may not reflect the truth about where to get yourself treated.

But regardless of it all, many people with an affordable health insurance policy are under-insured and just don't know it. In such cases, a seriously sick or injured person isn't going to stop and do research on their treatment options, they're going to go to the emergency.

And it's only after, when they get their bills, that most people realize that the plan they thought they could rely on didn't cover enough. What people should be better able to do is shop around and compare insurance plans, not just doctors and treatments, so they can make the health care decisions that are best for them.