Opinion: A possibly fatal mistake

For all his innate prudence, Scott now, at age 52, is suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer, in part because he didn't have health insurance. President Obama's healthcare reform came just a bit too late to help Scott, but it will protect others like him—unless Mitt Romney repeals it. Let's just stipulate up front that Scott blew it. Other people are sometimes too poor to buy health insurance or unschooled about the risks. Scott had no excuse. He could have afforded insurance, and while working in the pension industry he became expert on actuarial statistics; he knew precisely what risks he was taking. He's the first to admit that he screwed up catastrophically and may die as a result.