how well can we afford to be?

Last week I stopped by the local pharmacy. On my way out, I wrote a hefty $35 check for a month's worth of two daily medications. That does not include vitamins.

Now, these medications are not vital to my existence. I have lived without them in the past and would not be at (very significant) risk of death without them. But still -- $35 for 70 pills? Can I afford to be more comfortable? Is it worth $560 a year to be cheerier and blow my nose less?

Someone once made an interesting point about prescription meds (esp. for seniors). Yes, seniors are paying outrageous prices for the medications controlling their heart conditions and blood pressure and Parkinson's and so on and so forth. Some must choose between meds and meals.

But sometimes we lose perspective of the fact that part of why healthcare has become so expensive is that we are living so much longer. These miracle pills are causing people not to die of heart attacks at 60 and add on another 20 years to the time they would have had half a century before.

This is not to say people are not entitled to these medications if they exist, but... I don't know what I'm trying to say.