He is a classmate of my youngest daughter, who is 14. He has just finished an apparently successful treatment for Hodgkins Disease, which could have killed him had he not had access to advanced diagnostic medicine, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

He doesn't smoke. He doesn't drink. He's not fat, and is a splendid athlete in several sports. (I once saw him, a goalie, make a spectacular save from a penalty kick in soccer, thus assuring a win by his team. You should have seen his face!) He takes no other drugs and never had anything worse than a cold in his life. He is a very happy and upbeat young man.

His illness was a bolt from the blue. Without health insurance, his parents would be broke by now. Had they no money or property, and no insurance, he would face a death sentence for no good reason.

We all face catastrophic illness or injury sometime, except those of us killed outright by accident or violence. Some of us face chronic illness, which can be more disastrous financially, because it goes on for years and years.

My older kids would face that without the financial backing and opportunity for treatment that health insurance gives. You might not think that's a problem, but I do.