Nickeled and Dimed,

When you are on your own, you pay for it. My monthly health insurance premium just went up to more than $900.00. When I lose my COBRA coverage next month, my own plan will be more than $1000 a month. I have a $100.00 co-pay for Imitrex, a migraine medication. I can treat my migraines with pain medication at roughly $.75 a pill, or I can take an Imitrex injection at $50.00 a shot. What would you do?

In addition to my family's health insurance, I maintain life insurance, homeowner's insurance, automobile insurance, professional liability insurance, long term disability insurance, and I probably have an insurance policy that covers the fact that I have so much insurance.

Now, here is where it really hurts- the life insurance people charge me extra because I occasionally go hiking and do karate. (Kahhh-Rahhh-Tayyy). I do these things to stay healthy. And so I pay extra because I am healthy enough to do these things. If I were substantially less fit and lazy, I would not do these things, and I would pay less for life insurance. Statistically, I am less likely to die on a day hike than a sedentary, cardiovascularly challenged individual is to die from a heart attack on any given day, but because his behaviour is normal, while I am an outlier, he pays less, and I pay more. So why is the couch potato rewarded economically for being a couch potato?