In an earlier post I wrote that I have asthma. That was a late addition to my life, only affecting me and diagnosed after I was 45 years old. The proximate cause of my asthma, according to my primary care doctor at the time, was that I had started competitive swimming again, in a county run pool that over-chlorinates (yes, it still does) to avoid lawsuits about bacterial infections. After only a few months at the pool, I went to the doctor because I was having breathing problems. The pool still over-chlorinates and youth swim teams, both age group and high school work out there. You figure out the damage.
My asthma was a factor before I qualified for Medicare by living to 65 , but my pre-existing condition was not from a bad choice on my part. At least not a bad choice by most people's judgment. The other factor in my medical health that stems from my swimming is that I have had several skin cancers that have been removed and have ongoing keratoses. Just yesterday I had one spot frozen and another biopsied and I am waiting for the results. I am comparatively lucky as I have a sister who had a melanoma removed when she was quite young, but once again my pre-existing condition is not from a bad lifestyle.
Pre-existing conditions can be a congenital problem as in Jimmy Kimmel's son or they can be from good choices or bad choices. Preventing anyone from getting medical care is a moral flaw regardless of the cause.
Well said!
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