According to government sources, there are approximately 30 million uninsured citizens in this country. The majority of these are working in jobs where health care plans are not offered by their employers. Although many of the uninsured do not make enough money to purchase private health insurance on their own, their incomes still render them ineligible for government-funded health programs. We could assume that these 30 million Americans are in relatively good health and that their out-of-pocket medical expenses are little to non-existent. However, we would be sadly mistaken.

Many Disabled Americans Still Uninsured

Included in those 30 million uninsured is a demographic of people who not only do not qualify for government-funded health care programs, but are also disabled and/or terminally ill. While their medical conditions may warrant them being approved for programs such as Social Security Disability according to one doctor’s diagnosis, the guidelines set forth by the doctors employed by the Social Security Administration often tell a different story.

Wanda Reddick and her husband, Carl. Wanda became disabled and lost her job, leaving them both without health insurance benefits.

Wanda Reddick, 61 of Tennessee, is one of millions of Americans caught in the red tape of the flawed  Social Security system. Reddick suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and requires a number of medications plus a supply of oxygen in order to survive. Despite her disability, Reddick worked as long as she was able. She spent three days in the hospital and took twelve weeks of sick leave. As a result, Reddick lost her job and what insurance coverage she had. Reddick was eventually diagnosed as being disabled due to the COPD by a private doctor and unable to return to work. However, when she was examined by the Social Security Administration’s doctor, she was told she was not disabled and therefore did not qualify for Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI).

In the meantime, Reddick is without some of the medications that help her to breathe. One of her prescriptions costs $194. Reddick said she hasn’t gotten it filled because she cannot afford it. It’s one of five prescriptions that remain unfilled due to their cost. She still has to wait a year before she qualifies for Medicare. Meanwhile her husband Carl, who is 71 with a host of ailments of his own, receives his medications through Medicare. Instead of using the supply of oxygen that was prescribed to him for his own breathing problems, he gives it to Wanda.

In the interim, as they wait to appeal Wanda’s denial, they boil water on the stove to produce steam. Carl says it helps them breathe. Wanda’s letter of denial was dated March 15th – and it gave her sixty days to plead her case to the Social Security Administration Appeals Board. Carl’s frustration was obvious when he voiced his feelings on the situation.

“The whole system is a mess. It’s just a shame….. like going to the end of a road and finding there’s nothing, but a drop off.”