Healthcare consumerism: Consumers have access to wealth of information

Concerned that food stamp users lacked the opportunity to buy fresh vegetables, the anti-hunger group Just Harvest decided two years ago to take credit card machines to local farmers markets that were operating on a cash basis. Besides credit and debit cards, the machines accept the state-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer cards holding food stamps. "As people find out about it, it's becoming more and more popular," said Just Harvest executive director Ken Regal, noting EBT card purchases are up 40 percent from last year. In ways big and small, technology is being deployed to reduce health disparities — some groups' lack of access to health care or healthy lifestyle options or their overrepresentation in disease or death rates.