Health insurance as we know it is a stupid idea for health-conscious people. It's nice to know that if something catastrophic happens, like a car accident or cancer, I will be taken care of. But really, that's all I want it for. I spend way less than the $200 per month my health insurance costs for my employer.

The thing about American health insurance that gets me steamed is that the profit they make on me is going to pay for people who knowlingly and recklessly compromise their own health. I am subsidizing other people's carelessness. For example, I help pay for the second round of cancer treatment for a smoker who had his tongue resected in 2000, and continued to smoke. This kind of thing happens all the time. The problem is that there is no dollar incentive for people to take preventive measures for their own health. If that man has an HMO, it's possible his medical care during cancer treatment costs him less than $100 a month, while the actual cost could be $50,000 a month or more.

More on this later. If anyone wants to debate this with me, I'd love it. I'll buy you a beer and we can talk about it.