[GiraffeNecktie]

But the nice thing about a publicly financed health care system is that early interventions become much more likely when people aren't forced to make decisions like "Should I spend my paycheck getting this lump in my breast checked out or should I spend it on groceries for the family."

[malandrew]

Exactly. My mom is dying from terminal breast cancer and she avoided going to the doctor for more than a year for chest pains because she had anxiety issues and was too worried about the financial aspects to confirm whether it was anxiety issues or something more serious. It had to turn from chest pains to shortness of breath before she finally set aside the cash to get it checked out. Turns out the breast cancer had metastasized and ended up in her lung, bones and liver by the time they diagnosed the cause. By that point the cancer in her lung was the size of an orange.

[ericclemmons]

Similar case with my uncle and colon cancer. The anxiety of knowing made the situation worse.

For most of us, the money can be attained, as evident by the electronic devices littering our homes and offices.

Related, I've found that many young people don't want to know what their credit card or bank balance is, for fear of seeing how little money they have left (or saved).

Terrible way to live.