Is there a way around this? The monopoly of health care and medications really frighten me.

I feel it is unnecessarily costly and more that a little dishonest. I am 80 yrs old, have osteoarthritis and will soon need a hip replacement. I live alone but my children are good about coming in when they can. I have been reading this form for a long time and it really helps me to not become a burden to them. Thank you all for your honest and insightful posts.