Cancer Closes In

It always amazes me when talking with a prospective client and they tell me they don't really need Rx coverage since they don't take any medication.

Or they say they just need something for doctor visits since the don't plan on getting sick.

My response is always, "Go through an emergency room and ask for a show of hands on how many had PLANNED on being there 24 hours ago."

I figure if they can be flip so can I.

The problem is, none of us ever PLAN on having an accident. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called an accident, would it?

And no one PLANS on getting sick . . . especially something like cancer.

Heart disease is still the number one killer, but not for long.

Cancer is closing in.

Globally, an estimated 12.4 million people will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year and 7.6 million people will die, the U.N. World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer said in a report.

It is worth noting that is a GLOBAL estimate, not U.S.

U.S. stats may be different, especially the death ratio.

Trends that will contribute to rising cancer cases and deaths include the aging of populations in many countries -- cancer is more common in the elderly -- and increasing rates of cigarette smoking in poor countries.

Apparently those Surgeon General warnings don't appear on cigs sold in poor countries . . .

However, cigarette companies are finding new customers in developing countries. Seffrin noted that 40 percent of the world's smokers live in just two nations -- China and India.

So the Marlboro man is now speaking Mandarin, I suppose.

Decades ago, cancer was considered largely a problem of Westernized, rich, industrialized countries. But much of the global burden now rests in poor and medium-income countries.

Many of these countries have limited health budgets and high rates of communicable diseases, while cancer treatment facilities are out of reach for many people and life-saving treatments are seldom available, Boyle said.

So other countries, like maybe places with universal health care, might not have as many options for cancer patients.