Thanks to all of you unselfish enough to stand in support of the Affordable Care Act. Today I can be assured that my wife and my daughters cannot be denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition. The women in my life have the BRCA gene predisposing them to several forms of cancer and my wife is already a two-times cancer survivor.
The notion of a preexisting condition is interesting to consider. You can be predisposed in different ways. Some individuals have physical abnormalities that predispose them to an early heart attack. Many medical conditions are genetically based and being unlucky in the genes you happen to draw may end up predisposing you to one problem or another. There have always been such conditions. What has changed is our awareness of some. Recognizing you are predisposed should be a good thing. Being predisposed does not mean the negative potential of your predisposition will be realized. It means you play the game of life with different odds than those who are luckier.
It is important to recognize that insurance is also a game of chance – you are willing to lose money in exchange for protection against a catastrophic loss. The reality is that some are excluded from the game because they have higher odds of winning (actually losing). In some cases we can identify those with different odds and in some cases this is not yet possible. Knowing that your odds are not as good should not be held against you.
Do people really not understand how these health care issues work? Those without insurance end up with inevitable illnesses or injuries and seek help in the emergency room. I have spent far too much time in such settings observing what went on around me. Sometimes the problems being treated were not really emergencies. Often, those who end up seeking care for what are not actually emergencies are simply unable to pay and take this approach because they are provided care. It would be far better economically if all had health insurance and could seek help in an appropriate setting.
We had insurance when both of my wife’s cancers were detected. My wife did not have to weigh whether a checkup would be a waste of money and her cancers were detected early enough to give her a fighting chance. Many are not so lucky. Some with limited means cannot afford health insurance and do not have the means to secure regular checkups. When they eventually end up in the medical system it is both expensive for the system and often too late.
So thanks to those unselfish enough to understand. Feel lucky you have not had to face the odds imposed by a preexisting condition and feel lucky if you have been able to afford insurance. Good luck is seldom something entirely earned. Good luck is so easy to take for granted.