He may not be technically dead, but he is gone. He had a stroke, it landed in a bad place, and for all intents and purposes, he is gone. Oh, and he doesn't have insurance. Not because he didn't want it. Not because he couldn't pay for it. But because he couldn't get it.
You see, he had shoulder surgery a few years ago, when he had a company that had health insurance. He also had a bum knee, which needed surgery. So, becoming self-employed, and being the responsible person he is, he went in search of health insurance.
He was able to get it for his daughter, but not for himself. The knee thing, you know. He quite logically (PhD from MIT, he is quite logical) asked that they just treat the shoulder and knee as pre-existing conditions. Logical, but a no go. No one would insure him.
He is not a slacker. He is not irresponsible. He is just a guy who wants and needs insurance and
Can
Not
Get
It.
Now he has had a stroke. He is uninsured, and so everything that he has will go to the medical bills. What he wanted for his daughter will be gone. For nothing, because he is gone.
We will mourn tomorrow, and for a thousand more after that. But right now I just had to write this. And I can't write in the past tense yet.