I keep trying to figure out if the world would be a better place if health insurance didn't exist. I think doctors and hospitals inflate their charges to insurance companies, since they know that they will not get all of the money back, and in turn, the insurance companies charge high rates to pay for what the doctors charge... Plus all of the money that goes to filing the paperwork alone. I've been looking into the Health Savings Accounts, and they seem like a good idea, as long as the money rolls over from year to year, and continues to build. I think some of them run sort of like IRA's, where you can put money into them pre-tax, as long as it is used for medical expenses. In the case of a HSA, I think they tie in somehow with an insurance company with high deductibles, so that in the case of a catastrophic medical event, the insurance company would cover it. I may have this whole thing all mixed up, but I like the idea of having an account for medical expenses that remains MY money, and eventually can be liquidated for my own personal use.