Mrs. Charm’s good friend is set to begin a round of chemotherapy and radiation next week in her struggle with an unexpected cancer. I suppose cancer is always unexpected. So, too, was the cost of the chemo, alone, the poison that goes along with the burning radiation, to try to kill the tumors without killing the hosts, though it generally debilitates them awfully. So why are these people smiling?
Maybe because they’re getting paid. Six thousand dollars for the first round of chemo, at about a hundred dollars a pill. Luckily Mrs. C.’s friend can afford whatever her insurance doesn’t pay. I suppose this is a good argument for socialized medicine, though I doubt there’ll be as many choices once Barry and his cronies take us in that direction. But with cancer there’s not much choice, anyhow. You try to live a while longer, and some do succeed. Or you accept your dying sooner instead of later and at least depart in as near the condition of your old self as possible. For whatever that might be worth. I suppose it wouldn’t frighten your children as much as the husk you become from the treatments.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
“I suppose cancer is always unexpected.” Not for a smoker here. At least the cancer could preempt some more obnoxious old age diseases, although I know people who would argue with it.
Socialized medicine could be blamed for many sins indeed, but everything depends on what is called here “the basket of medicines” (literal translation). It means the medicines/treatments that are automatically included in one’s allowance. If it covers most needs, well it avoids a lot of excruciating paperwork and phone bills accrued when arguing with some customer care dumbo in insurance company call center. I remember this only too vividly from my experience in US.
Not that I am a commie, mind you 😉
Nope, no commie you. Even for a smoker, though, lung cancer is not certain. Nor the myriad other cancers smoking has been proven to contribute to. And who really expects to get it? Not me. Some smokers just die of organ collapse from old age. We probably won’t, though. 😉