The first time I took my kid to the emergency room was an unforgettable experience. It was the middle of the night; he’d fallen off the bed at someone else’s house and bumped his head. After waiting for hours, we were finally seen by the MD on duty who asked me a surprising question; “Do you want us to give your son an MRI?” I blinked. Who’s the doc here I wondered? “What would you do if this was your son?” I asked. Very diplomatically, he told me to skip …

Not too long ago, a friend was expressing his concern about the costs of health care insurance for his family. My friend was covered by an employer-provided policy, but his wife and two daughters were added to the insurance at his own expense. My friend and his wife are young, in their late twenties, and both they and their kids were in excellent health. So imagine my surprise (shock, really) when he told me his monthly premium was over $800. No wonder he was troubled!
I had to drill down into …