Reader Murry Ferris writes in:

I am a 65 year old retired ad exec and also an insulin-dependent
diabetic.  I have other medical complications, but taking care of the
diabetes is the big one.

Every day I test my blood glucose
levels as many as ten times.  A box of test strips retails for between
$40-$60 and lasts less than a week…. you do the math.  In case you
were not aware, your glucose levels are in a state of constant flux
depending on your intake of food and exercise.   Bottom line, keep your
levels, "level" and you'll lead a more normal life.

Now with all the
talk about raising taxes to pay for the rising cost of health care I
hear absolutely no discussion about reining in the unjustified
increases of medical supplies and equipment.   Just ten years ago I
could buy test strips for $10.   Now they come in slick PVC canisters,
wrapped in four-color labels and packed in plush slick cardboard boxes
stuffed with layers of "instructions" and phony code strips.   Remember
all you need do is stick your finger an put a drop of blood on the end
of the strip.   How hard is that?

So, for $2,600 a year I get to
stick my finger ten times daily, throw a pile of unread and expensive
packaging in the trash, and pay increasingly higher health care
costs.