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Sunday, May 10, 2026 We’re still working our way through two lengthy and sobering reports on health care spending. One of those reports is paired with a follow up virtual meeting Wednesday. Until I gather my thoughts and or get permission to share links to this data, here are a few highlights: $5.6 trillion was spent on health care in 2025. Hospital services account for ‘only’ 30% of that total. One of every four employer health care dollars are spent on pharmacy. 55% of th

Sunday, May 3, 2026 Meet 'Katie.' Teacher, single mother of three making $57,330. Her health plan has a $2,500 single deductible plus copays, coinsurance, etc. capped at $5,000/year. Double per family. That’s a decent health plan. Her share of the family premium is only $225.70/month. That’s outstanding! (Woefully short on pay, school districts often rock on benefits!) Here’s the problem. On top of the occasional sports injuries, Katie and one child have chronic healt

Sunday, April 26 Perhaps because I’ve recently flown “the friendly skies,” this WSJ headline caught my eye. “Senators Warn United, American on Merger” The article quoted a letter written by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D, Mass) and Mike Lee (R, Utah), noting “a combined United-American air carrier would be able to exploit its market power to harm consumers in a number of ways.” Like, “higher airfares!” Here’s a question for these two Washington Watchdog Wizards; where

Sunday, March 29, 2026 Best Bud’ had another health episode this week. I say another because he’s dodged one bullet after another fighting cancer for over a decade. Tough as nails! This time it was a bad case of the chills (well actually, rigors) that sent him to UC, where they ran a few tests and prepped him to go home. Turns out he was flirting with sepsis, the result of an abscessed gall bladder. Without the intervention of an advocate - who sent him to another hospi