Pre-Existing Condition Scenario

The following is a little healthcare scenario concerning pre-existing conditions:


Patient: Do you have my test results?

Doctor: Yes. I'm sorry to report that you have pancreatic cancer.

Patient: What is my prognosis, Doctor?

Doctor: You have six months to live.

Patient: Is there no cure?

Doctor: We have made great strides in cancer cures, but pancreatic cancer is particularly difficult. There are things we can try, but there is no guarantee of success.

Patient: What is the record of cure for other pancreatic cancer cases?

Doctor: There is no actual cure. Those who have gone through the treatment regimen, as compared to those who have not, lived a week longer on average.

Patient: That doesn't sound very encouraging. An extra week of life is not very long. Is the Treatment Expensive?

Doctor: It runs about $100,000.

Patient: I can't afford that, and even if I could I doubt that I would spend $100,000 for one more week of life.

Doctor: Don't you have health insurance?

Patient: Yes, but it doesn't cover cancer treatment.

Doctor: You could switch to the new Government Option Healthcare Insurance.

Patient: But now that I know I have pancreatic cancer, that would be a pre-existing condition for new insurance purposes.

Doctor: True, but the Government Option Healthcare System allows pre-existing conditions.

Patient: That sounds good to me, but should government be paying $100,000 to give me one more week of life?

Doctor: My personal opinion is you should not be concerned with that. The voting public, who are also mostly tax payers asked Congress to give you that right. The president signed the bill and the benefit is there for you and me to use.

Patient: It doesn't seem right that I should ask taxpayers to pay for something that I wouldn't pay for myself, but it's free stuff, let's do it.