Cost-of-Living Increase

This Philadelphia Inquirer article raises an important issue that many of us will deal with as individuals and all of us have to deal with as a society. The gist: More medical care is not necessarily better medical care and does not necessarily lead to better results. It is, however, a whole lot more expensive.

Key quote: "The Dartmouth researchers argue that the differences in the amount of care that patients receive depend more on the supply of health-care providers -- particularly how many specialists and hospital beds are available -- than on a patient's needs or medical evidence."

Somebody has to pay for all of those TV, radio, and print ads the health systems produce.