In an editorial, the Providence Journal points to a "nifty idea,"an innovative program in Rhode Island that allows people without health insurance to buy access to a doctor for less than most people's monthly cable bill.

Under HealthAccessRI, doctors offer "memberships" of $25 or $30 a month for easy access to their services for about six years. Members receive yearly physicals, visits when they are sick, and 24-hour phone access.

Says the paper, this "doesn’t include major medical coverage for such events as a heart attack or serious cancer. However, combining this inexpensive means of obtaining primary care with a high-deductible catastrophic policy for big-ticket medicine (this insurance costs far less than comprehensive coverage) could provide health security for most people."