What are some good sites for comparing health care programs in the US
(particularly the states of California and Oregon), particularly those
for private individuals (as opposed to corporate
programs)?  Ideally, I'd like to be able to select a variety of
features and parameters and get a list of possible providers and
service options.
 
Also, some sites that explain some of the ins and outs of health care
coverage for the layman would be helpful.

Hello mrfrog-ga,

I've found some sites that I think will provide the information you
request. Several contain the option of searching for different plans
by geographical location. Also included are some general sites. I
highly recommend the AHCPR site. The google keywords I used are here
too. Please do not hesitate to seek clarification if you have further
questions about the sites I've included here.

Thanks,

rapidreference-ga


HEALTH PLAN COMPARISON:

National Committee For Quality Assurance (NCQA)
"The premier source for information about the quality of the nation’s
managed care plans."
<http://www.ncqa.org/>

NCQA HealthChoices Site
-contains report cards to compare plans
-searchable by state
<http://www.healthchoices.org/>

E-healthinsurance.com
-provides quotes of various plans for individual/family coverage
-according to the Business Week online article below, the real rate is
not known until the application process is complete.
<http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/index.html>

E-healthinsurance.com
-frequently asked questions site
<http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehealthinsurance/FrequentlyAskedQuestions_1.html>

California Office of the Patient Advocate 
California's HMO Report Card - 2002
<http://www.opa.ca.gov/report_card/>

Getting the Best Care from Your Health Plan;Research is key, but which
Web sites are reliable? Carol Marie Cropper Business Week Online, May
6, 2002
<http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_18/b3781611.htm>

AARP Health Care Options
Get a quote site
<http://www.aarphealthcare.com/quote/index.aspx>

GENERAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN INFO:

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)
-Checkup on Health Insurance Choices web site;excellent federal gov't
site containing tons of information about health insurance
<http://www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/insuranc.htm>

State of California Dept of Managed Health Care
-HMO Glossary
<http://www.hmohelp.ca.gov/library/glossary/>



Google search keywords:

health insurance plans faq (limited by domain to government sites)
health care plan faq
health care plans oregon

Exactly what I was looking for.  Thank you!