CHICAGO — As the push for employers to offer consumer-directed health plans in an effort to stem rising health costs continues, a recent survey finds that when it comes to health, consumers are not that interested in research and comparison shopping.

A recent Destiny Health, Opinion Research Corporation survey reveals that Americans spend twice as much time researching car and computer purchases than they do in selecting a doctor, and six in 10 say they probably wouldn't change their ways even if price and quality information on health care providers was readily available.

According to Barry Swartzberg, executive director of Destiny Health's sister company Discovery Health, with an estimated 97% of insured Americans covered by traditional forms of health insurance, the results show that such plans keep consumers disengaged from the health care process. This, he said, is because Americans with traditional health insurance see little or nothing to gain from seeking the lower prices or higher quality of care that might be available from providers outside their insurer's network.