(Houston Chronicle (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Apr. 30--Mayor Bill White launched a new Web site Tuesday aimed at giving Houstonians more information about health insurance choices.

offers a menu of online options for individuals, families and small-business owners to compare health plans side-by-side based on monthly premium prices, deductibles and coverage options.

White hopes to bring a measure of transparency to health plan pricing and to encourage the uninsured to seek coverage they can afford.

His announcement came on the heels of a survey that showed a dramatic hike in premiums for Texans who get health insurance through their jobs. The premium for family coverage jumped 40 percent between 2001 and 2005 while paychecks stayed the same.

Nationally, the comparable premium rose an average 30 percent while income grew only 3 percent, according to a new study of government data by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization devoted to accessible health care.

Mounting costs have driven many individuals to opt out of company health plans and some small businesses to stop offering health benefits altogether. As a result, 5.5 million Texans lack health insurance. More than a million of those live in Houston and most have full-time jobs, White said.

is an easy-to-navigate Web site that brings a wealth of data together in one central location. Consumers can sort the information in various ways. For example, they can search for plans with premiums under $100 a month or deductibles under $500 a year.

The site might advise, however, that the prices sought aren't available, depending on the searcher's age or family size.

White encouraged those who are not insured to go online to see if they qualify for a low-cost plan, cautioning they still might not find one they can afford.

Elena Marks, the mayor's director of health and environmental policy, said the swelling ranks of the uninsured are severely stressing local hospital emergency rooms and driving up medical costs for those with insurance.

Marks spent months with a team of researchers and actuaries who price health plans for insurance companies in the hopes of creating a new type of health plan.

Those experts said it was possible to create a health plan with good medical coverage at much lower prices than anything offered on the market today while still giving a healthy profit to insurance companies. Marks said the city solicited insurers, asking them to offer more affordable plans in Houston. Not one would do it.

"People shouldn't have to choose between a Cadillac and walking," White said. "We need another tier of products that aren't as comprehensive but do give coverage."

HoustonHealthChoice does not promote any specific insurance company, plan or broker. However, only insurers that earn a B+ rating or higher from the Texas Department of Insurance appear on the site. The grade measures how well insurers fare in audits of their policy writing practices and compliance with state insurance rules.

lynn.cook@chron.com

To see more of the Houston Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.HoustonChronicle.com.

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City launches Web site offering help on health plans: Mayor hopes to make pricing more transparent and encourage uninsured to buy

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