A New Day for Healthcare Reform

I played in my usual Sunday golf league this morning. Tee time was 7:30 AM, but with the change to daylight savings time, I was up at 5:30AM and out the door by 6AM. This was the first round of golf I have played since getting the port put into my shoulder a month ago. I felt no discomfort and I played a reasonably decent round. I shot 90, only because I got myself into trouble on the last two holes. I should have easily finished with my normal 86...so I guess I am doing OK.

Chris Maher was on a cruise with his wife this week and Kirby was attending PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) for Rotary this weekend. (Kirby will be our new club president this year, replacing Don Kennedy.) I have not seen Doug Bowers lately, but he is normally the 4th player in our group.

Since none of the regulars were around I ended up playing golf this morning with two other guys in my group -- let's call them Bob and Fred. Bob works in the building trades. Fred is a retired insurance salesman. Both are smokers.

I rode with Bob, who was lighting a cigarette on nearly every hole. While we were playing I decided to tell Bob how I had quit smoking last year using Chantix-- only to find out in October that I had lung cancer. (At this point there is no need any longer for me to keep, my cancer secret -- too many people know -- so this was the first opportunity I had to warn a friend who is still smoking.

Of course, Bob was sympathetic in learning about my diagnosis, but then he informed me that he has no health insurance and has not had a physical exam by a doctor since he was 17 years old. He said he had no intent to stop smoking. If he dies, so be it. His reasoning is that he will probably live long. His grandfather lived to 90 and smoked and drank (heavily) his whole life. He doesn't want health insurance, even though he could be covered under his wife's employer's plan. If he needs to be treated for a medical emergency, he will take his chances going to the hospital emergency room.

I asked him if he had life insurance and he said he carried "enough" (which turns out to be only about $75,000). (I have $1.5 million in insurance and I don't think I have "enough" for my wife if I were to die suddenly....so I guess he has very different ideas about "risk management" or what entails "enough.")

I told Bob about my work at St Vincent de Paul Community Healthcare and his response was "I would not qualify; I have a house." Bob drives a fairly new car -- paid for in cash -- and seems to manage his financial life well. They have very few bills. His cars are paid. Both he and his wife work. They have a mortgage payment of less than $700 a month on a house worth maybe $250,000. They owe less than $70,000 on the house. They manage well on what he and his wife make; they live happily within their means.

I said to Bob, what would happen if you were diagnosed with cancer? His answer was that he does not go to the doctor so he would not know if he were sick. He said he hopes he will will just keel over, but he expects to live as long as his grandad. He said he would probably just maximize the credit cards and declare bankruptcy. His house is a protected asset in Florida, so his wife would be OK. (I guess she can eat the shingles when he is gone?)

I thought Bob's whole approach was selfish and irresponsible. He is "leaching" off the rest of us who pay insurance. I am sure there are a lot of Bob's out there. If we want to be compassionate, we have to take care of these people, whether they have insurance or not...but the rest of society pays, which is not fair.

The conversation and my experience with cancer makes me believe that NOBODY can afford to be without health insurance. Unfortunately, there are enough idiots like Bob out there that Clinton's idea (mandatory universal healthcare system) is probably right in principal....everyone MUST participate. You can't just make it "affordable" as Obama says, because idiots like Bob would not buy it, even if it only cost one dollar. If it is not mandatory people will scam the system. So I guess I am now in favor of mandatory healthcare insurance. The question is how to implement a system that would work and provide people with quality and choice.