The numbers in this article are absolutely astounding. It now costs more for family health insurance than it does to rent an average two-bedroom apartment? You’re making my head hurt. But that’s not a pre-existing condition, I swear! Please don’t take away my coverage.

The average cost of job-based family health insurance climbed 5 percent to $13,375 in 2009, making this the 10th straight year that health care premiums have increased faster than workers’ wages and overall inflation have.

Insurance costs have increased 131 percent since 1999, when a year of family coverage cost about $5,791, according to the 2009 Employer Health Benefits Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust.

That supercharged growth rate far outpaces the 38 percent increase in wages and 28 percent growth of inflation over the same period.

The article goes on to quote a small business owner who’s been changing insurance companies in a vain attempt to stay ahead of premium increases but who opposes the government getting involved. Oy vay!

“It ain’t the government’s business,” Goodwin said. “They don’t need to be running a car company, and they sure don’t need to be running health care.”

If there’s a way to keep costs down without the government getting involved, however, Goodwin said he’s all for it.

There “ain’t” no way to do that, Goodwin. Just get over it and let’s make some progress here.