Consumer Empowerment as a Business Opportunity

The biggest buzzwords today in healthcare seems to be all about consumer empowerment.  So, let's put a consumer hat on, take a step back from all the activity, and analyze what is happening:

1. A number of businesses are emerging promising to empower consumers.
2. These businesses need to get paid somehow, most likely by the healthcare system.
3. So, who is going to pay them, and where is the money coming from?

And in the long run, how does this all benefit me?

I shouldn't have to pay for information to make healthcare a better market for me, and nobody else should either.  We need to rethink the policies that make it necessary for healthcare consumers to foot the bill to make healthcare market consumer driven.  And if you think I'm not the one paying for it, think again.  That cost is either going to my pocket eventually, or keeping my employer from paying me more because it is coming out of my benefits.