Health insurance costs would not be so high if the cost of medical care itself were not so high relative to prices charged for identical service in the lower 48. How is it that the State of Alaska and Providence can send their employees out to Washington for treatment for less cost than getting the procedures done up here. In many cases the Washington costs include housing and airfare for family as well as the patient and it is still less expensive. A friend shared a story about a doctor she/he works with the other day. The nurse remarked on the attractiveness of the mans necktie and he replied that they cost him $350 each. He also related that he recently threw a $250,000 wedding for his son which included a rented Lamborghini. That's a lot of expendable income folks and it comes at the cost of all of us paying exorbitant prices for medical care and health insurance.