By summer, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Whichever way it goes, we Americans face a huge problem -- the out-of-control costs of a medical system with economic rules so strange that you cannot even figure out the cost of a lot of care items, much less afford them if you have no insurance.

The marketplace works only when shoppers can compare prices, and make choices based on their balance of costs versus benefits. That's not possible in today's U.S. health-care market. In this issue, we'll look at the economic forces driving care costs.

For readers, my hope is that even if you cannot price the care you need, you can at least anticipate hidden costs, ask the right questions, and avoid billing errors.

In This Issue:

- The Costs of Cars and Health Care, Then Vs.Now

- Horror Stories from the Price Shopping Front

- What You Can Do to Curb Costs

- Check Out Our Previous Tips