By the way, you may have thought 2002 was a lousy year economically, but you were wrong -- it was actually a pretty swell year economically, according to Thursday's USA Today, if you were a managed care insurer:

In 2002, most health insurers were able to boost profits by raising premiums higher than the rate of medical inflation for the third year in a row. Some also cut money-losing business and saw a drop in enrollment as a result.

With the exception of Cigna, third-quarter earnings were up 47% on average for 11 major insurers, according to a report by Merrill Lynch analyst Roberta Goodman. Good fourth-quarter results are also expected....

...consumers should expect continued premium hikes as managed care firms pass along rising spending for hospital care, drugs and other medical services.

Premiums are expected to rise an average of 15.4% this year, while underlying health costs to insurers are expected to grow 12%, allowing insurers to add the difference to the bottom line....

And this is before Dr. Frist and the GOP take over the Senate.