The American Spectator has a very informative article about how the health insurance market works. Do you know what ERISA means and what it has to do with employer-provided health benefits? If not, read this article. Among other things, you will learn why "less than 5 percent of the population now buys its health insurance directly from a commercial carrier." (The short explanation is that the free market interprets overregulation as damage, and routes around it.)