Research has established that expensive wine tastes better—even if in fact it is the same wine. I suspect that when you pay a high price for something, and despite evidence to the contrary, you genuinely believe it to be better. This is true of many “luxury” items like gaudy Italian fashion, whose gold buckles and epaulets are found loose in the washing machine. This effect is also true of health care.

I manage to maintain my smile but my feet curl in painful spasm …