Drivers were recently stuck on Michigan’s I-275 for 50 minutes and Carol Greenberg, well, she ain’t happy. The Ohio woman sent the Michigan Department of Transportation a bill for $16 to compensate for the estimated gas she burned while waiting for the traffic jam to open.

Most noteworthy was this paragraph:

Mrs. Greenberg said in an interview that the delay was doubly unpleasant for her Maine coon cat, Sammy, who howled through the entire experience in a pet carrier in the back seat.

Man, that is one irritated kitty. But you can glean that just by looking at the article’s photo. I’d imagine he was later quoted as saying:

"I’m just a little fired up right now,"  Sammy stated, while bathing himself. "I was in Michigan to test for allergies, so I wasn’t feeling too terrific with all this grass flying around. Then I have to deal with traffic when all I want to do is get home and scratch my post … Oh, and ‘meow.’ Is that what you wanted? You wanted me to say something cat-like for you so you can be all cute and put it in the paper? Well I won’t dance for you people anymore. You know what, this interview is over. Get that recorder out of my face (hiss)! Carol, show Bob Woodward here the door."

Moral of the story: Gas prices are creating even more of an impetus for states to ensure that drivers — and their passengers — can move along interstates in an efficient manner.

There are a lot of very smart people around the country trying to figure out solutions to a health care system that simply doesn’t work as well as it should. Unfortunately, they’re not having a lot of success — or maybe the challenge is just so big that we must be patient (no pun intended).

Who pays what to which provider depends on too many outside circumstances. The lack of health insurance for millions negatively impacts the entire system. Too much time and money is spent treating symptoms, not preventing the health problems in the first place. With the federal government financing nearly 70% of the country’s spending on health care, many decisions are out of the state’s control.

What can be done is focus on wellness. In Indiana, we eat too much, smoke too much and don’t exercise enough. Yes, part of the solution is individual responsibility. But businesses can play a critical role through wellness programs, health risk assessments and more. What can also be done is increase access to insurance and the preventative care that goes along with it. Reducing emergency room trips for common procedures will help bring some sanity to the financial side of the equation.

The Healthy Indiana Plan has proven to be a good start on both fronts. Let’s build on that, doing what we can at the state (and business) level. If not, health care expenditures will overwhelm our economy and our lives.

The latest Letters to Our Leaders installment offers the details. Read the letter (and others in the series); watch the one-minute video below; offer your comments.