Presidents Who Would Be Uninsurable Today

Teddy Roosevelt’s Ear and Eye Issues

Myopia caused eyesight so poor that this president couldn’t recognize his own sons without wearing glasses, and if you were standing on the side of his bad ear, even screaming bloody murder might not have been heard. Quite possibly legally blind and deaf in one ear? How did Teddy Roosevelt manage to run the country for two terms?

FDR’s Health Woes

It’s no secret that beloved and revered Franklin Delano Roosevelt suffered from a severe polio attack at the age of 39, and though this attack occurred before his inauguration in 1933, he carried the repercussions of the disease until his death in 1945. Lingering effects of polio aren’t like a cold’s cough that’s decided to rattle around in your chest for an extra couple days. Think more along the lines of cholecystitis, hypertensive cardiomyopathy and melanoma. Not the type of infirmities you can just treat over the counter.

Bill Clinton’s Achey-Breaky Heart

Jazz man and adulterer Bill Clinton may have appeared to be up for anything, but he dealt with some reflux issues, severe allergies and underwent a coronary bypass in 2004 due to unstable angina. Clinton was a big fan of Big Macs, but eventually his heart just gave up. Angina isn't innuendo; it's a real condition, more commonly recognized as chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t get enough blood.

Ronald Reagan’s Brain Drain

Like his GOP pal Teddy, Ronald Reagan dealt with horrific eyesight, and later developed hearing problems due to loud gunshot noises while filming Hollywood westerns. While it may be hard to feel sympathy for someone with movie star and Presidential status under their belt, Reagan also developed colon cancer during his time in the White House, not to mention the Alzheimer’s that left him forgetting the names of Cabinet officers, trusted aides and visiting dignitaries. While in Brazil, he toasted the people of Bolivia. Whoops!

George H.W. Bush’s Blinkin’ Antics

While undergoing surgery for the aforementioned colon cancer, Reagan passed the proverbial reins to his Vice President, the non-W George Bush. Is it stressful to step up and act as President? Absolutely. Add in eye blinking that occurs specifically during times of stress, arthritis, mild glaucoma, atrial fibrillation and Graves disease and it’s obvious that Bush’s overall health was just as prickly as his predecessors.

Why These Presidents Would be Uninsurable Today

These men hardly stand alone in contracting and living with a variety of health problems over their busy and productive lives, as issues like these are treated by health care providers on a daily basis. However, were they not the leaders of the great US of A, they would be facing the same frustrations that so many Americans run up against when seeking health insurance.

Health care providers are very hesitant to sell insurance to individuals with preexisting medical conditions. They are considered liabilities, risks, the “undesirables.” Imagine you turn in an application for health care, having been honest about your body’s past diseased invaders. Imagine that application being passed from hand to hand, being judged, whispered about. “Asthma, arthritis and anemia? Pass.” This AAA can keep you from getting the coverage that you need, roadside assistance aside from the point.

If you tear a ligament and need therapy for years, health insurance providers will gladly pay for that if you’re already a customer, because it proves that they are giving you the care you deserve. Trying to seek out health insurance after such an injury? Good luck.

Regardless of whether these past presidents developed their ailments after taking office, they are still powerful men who will never be denied tip-top health, for the good of the country. Take Bush senior’s name and status away and he would be thumbing through year-old Golf Digests in a waiting room just like the rest of us – hoping he won’t be turned away for having the same conditions we regular citizens may have.