Too Poor For Insurance, Too Rich For Free Help

As part of its Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up a few of the best local stories of the day.

Bryan Rupp reports for Southeast Texas's KBMT that Stacy Campbell has liver cancer. He's unemployed and too poor to buy his own health insurance -- but he's too rich for free help.

Campbell's wife, Janel, makes too much money for the family to qualify for the county-sponsored indigent health plan, reported KBMT. "You can't own a vehicle and you can't make over $250 a month to qualify for help" said Janel. Officials in Orange County, Texas, only provide healthcare to individuals earning less than 21 percent of the federal poverty limit. That means that any couple earning more than $3,060 per year don't qualify for the public services. Montrose Patient Advocates, which assists people like the Campbells, often refers patients outside of the county, to areas of the state with more inclusive social services.

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Some people have started panning and sifting for gold as an alternative way to make money, reports Kirsten Valle for the Charlotte Observer. The price of gold is at an all-time high compared to the dollar and jobs are hard to come by, which has turned some locals into amateur gold prospectors.

"We've got a tremendous amount of new people showing up because they're unemployed or underemployed and are trying to supplement their income," said Jeff Pickett, owner of the Cotton Patch mine in New London, N.C. "We're seeing the start of a new gold rush." One man reporting bringing in up to $175 worth of tiny gold flakes per day, which works out to a $63,000 yearly wage.

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A lawyer has filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that tens of thousands of foreclosures in metropolitan Detroit were filed illegally, making them invalid. Paul Egan of the Detroit News reports that the lawsuit, filed on behalf of 46 plaintiffs, has implications to nullify hundreds of thousands of foreclosures across the state which may have been improperly filed.

The claim is based around a technicality: according to state law, the county sheriff needs to sign the deeds for properties that the court sells off after a foreclosure, but in many cases the undersheriff signed instead. "It's a hyper-technical argument, but it's due process," said Paul Nicoletti, the filing attorney.

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An overflow homeless shelter that opened just this week in Springfield, Ill., has already projected it will soon have to turn people away as the homeless population rises. Patrick Yeagle, of the Illinois Times, reports that the shelter, which is active from Nov. 1 to April 30 each year when the weather gets cold, houses 50 beds, but that is projected to be too few. "We will get creative and develop another option," when space runs out, said shelter director Archie Form, "but right now there is no other option."

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Helen Altonn of the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports that Hawaii's 16 hospitals have gone $187 million into debt over the last year because of expensive medical care and unemployed patients. That number is only expected to rise as unemployment benefits and temporary COBRA benefits run out. "A lot of changes are coming and they're not going to add to the system; they're going to take away," said Terri Fuji, managing partner at an accounting firm that evaluated the losses. "We don't know exactly the impact, but it's negative."

HuffPost readers: Seen a compelling local story? Have a neighbor going to bizarre lengths to get through the recession? Tell us about it! Email [e-mail].

Comments

[elmikeo]

I feel like case workers should be able to decide on their own who deserves help. Rules for things like this should be slightly flexible and dependent on the person's willingness to take the help and to also try his best to get his feet back on the ground.

Mike- http://www.onedollarglobeinsurance.com

[FreedomCorpse]

Who is our military fighting for? Not for the American people, that much is clear no matter how much it is otherwise drilled into their heads.

[loki]

the military is the free army of the corporations. They fight so a few can make a lot of money and have a lot of power.

[raker]

Imagine, an income limit of $250 a month. Despicable. A couple making over $3,000 a year and having a vehicle isn't "too rich for free help," it's desperately, unimaginably poor. it's a policy that's intended to punish poverty and deprive people of health care. It's barbaric.

Everywhere there are working poor who can't afford health care, so how do these Republicans get away with opposing it? What's the matter with Texas?

[loki]

So tell me, how is one expected to live on less than $250 a month. Food and a roof over your head would cost more than that. I know someone whose on disability, a single guy in his early 40's now. Makes a whole $750 on SSDI. Medicare doesnt cover much for him, no medication and he cant afford the prescription plan either, for the drugs that keep him alive. He has 2 children that stay with him a couple days a week since his wife left him after he became disabled. Her words " He was bad for her image and social life" thats was after around 10 years of being a hard working good provider for her and his kids. She emptied the bank accounts and filed for divorce. He was so depressed he let her have it all. Now you would think he could get some kind of help? nope. Food stamps qualified him for $10 every month, and he can not get anything else because he makes to much on SSDI. $750 a month.
Out of that he has to pay over $250 in medication, and pay for monthly doctor visits for treatments and prescriptions.
But Im sure the Rethugs would all say its not their problem. They dont want their money to help him.

[Aldyth]

The Republicans would like to encourage him to shuffle off the mortal coil faster, please. He's too expensive to be allowed to live.

[khg1]

This is the story of my life, too much foto r help but not enough to pay for college, insurance, ect ect....

[mjtaylor22]

REPUGNANT MANTRA.
just say no to social programs that keep people from fallingout of the bottom of society..........
GET A CHARITY TO HELP YOU OUT
AND REPUBLICAN RUN GOVT WILL ONLY SPEND OUR MONEY ON WAR NOT THE PRESERVATIONOF OUR DIGNITY OUR SOCIETY NOR BASIC NECESSITIES

[getsit]

Charities do all they can but there aren't enough of them. This man's treatment will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is the Republican, the Blue Dog democrats, and the right wing wackos death panel.

[getsit]

I hate to say this, but Mr Campbell needs to divorce his wife and quickly. Many elderly do this because they get trapped into this same situation. Many husbands and wives do the same. Just to qualify for Medicaid or other programs. 20% of poverty is ridiculous. The federal proverty level is set at a ridiculously low amount.

It's the way our government is set up. Not for the people.

[MaryanneAZ]

I divorced my husband for exactly this reason. He became seriously mentally ill (organic origin) and exhausted his lifetime mental health benefits with his employer's insurer in 6 weeks time. He could not be added to my employer's insurance because, you guessed it, he now had a pre-existing condition. He was totally out there and unsafe to have at home without treatment. In order to qualify for indigent care, I RAN to the court house and divorced him pronto. He was then able to get the care he needed to stabilize his condition. Since then the VA has taken him into their care as he is a veteran. This is a frequent answer to this horrible problem. No family should have to be dismantled by divorce due to the health insurance caps etc.

[loki]

just wondering. Do you have kids? How did you deal with that? I know my good friend whose wife left him after he was injured and left disabled, she fought and received primary physical custody. Now he still has his kids 3 or more days every week because his X doesnt want to pay for child care and she wants to party, and he loves his kids so he takes them all he can even though he cant really afford them. I help him out though but dont tell the SSDI, they deducted it from his 750 a month. Anyway, according to our wonderful tax code the primary physical custodian of the children get to use the children for tax purposes. But, all federal and social programs use the tax decision for their standards to. So even though he has his kids at least half the time, they dont let him put his children on the form as dependents. So everything from food stamps to even if he applied to have them get an SSDI support check for being under 18, it would all legally have to go to his X. And she makes 40 grand a year, and took his medical settlement money too. So he is just screwd. So , if you have kids, have you now X are primary so he can apply for more help for him and the kids.

[mjtaylor22]

DUE E THIS IS HOW IT HAS BEEN FOREVER IF YOU NOT IN A CARDBOARD BOX THE PROGRAMS ARE DEAD AND GONE THAT USED TO ATTEMPT TO ASSIT PEOPEL.
IF U STILL HAVE YOUR JOB AND HOME, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.
there is no help to keep you afloat, only help when you are on your way to cardboard box living

[markinaz]

Time to do what you must. Get a divorce. You'll qualify then. Sad commentary on our society.

[GayIthacan]

Probably would not help.

Even if she remains a roommate, her income still works against him. Plus undoubtedly she would remain legally his 'common law wife' if they continue to reside in the same household.

Sometimes i am kinda happy that we gays cannot marry. It may save our lives someday.

[Snwbnny9]

My friend has the same problem. She has lupus and had her appendix rupture a year ago. She's been really sick since then but can't afford her medication. She lives on $770 a month child support for her 3 boys. Her medicine should be $400 a month but she can't afford to buy it. In order to qualify for Medicaid in GA her family of four would need to earn under $280 a month. She really wants to get well and go back to work.

[Bartolo27]

The republicans are bringing the USA to Third World status in short order...........

[MicheleCA]

That would benefit the 1% at the top of the wealthiest country in the world. Think of the $$$ they'd save not having to outsource. Domestic slave labor!

[hunit88]

Catch 22

[RJII]

so bascially the state/county has made a large group of its poor invisible.

they have the upper, middle, lower and invisible classes.

If this is how its going to be, America will continue to crumble.

[LHoney]

I'm sorry... you can't own a vehicle and you can't earn over $250 per month... in other words, they don't have a program.

[FoonTheElder]

This is how many government programs work now. They do this so the politicians can say to the media and voters that there is a program that helps people, when in fact there is no real help.

[MadHeart]

Why doesn't Stacy qualify for disability and Medicare? Health care is so unevenly distributed in this country, it's crazy. A wealthy SS retiree not only gets his or her SS, but also Medicare--there's no income limit on that and the wealthy, because they can afford supplemental insurance, co-pays and other expenses, will take advantage of health care far more often than the poor. I go to the doctor once a year for high blood pressure, and 2x a year for a cancer follow up. Other than that, I take care of my own health and put up with aches and pains--I don't run to the dr for every little thing, even though pharma TV advertising has elevated things like heartburn to a "disease", for instance.

I doubt that Stacy's wife is "wealthy" as one person commented. $250 mo. income limit? You can't even rent an apt for that. The State of Texas (among others) must think that people are free to die on their own while the wealthy collect every penny they can from the govt, since they essentially run it.

[mjtaylor22]

and the governor of TX says health care shoudl be left up to the states
this stuff is crazy

[khg1]

Texas math!

[MaryanneAZ]

Stacy likely does qualify for SSDI (disability), BUT he would not be eligible for Medicare for two full years after his approval for SSDI. This is another GOP amendment to the legislation to prevent people from becoming too comfortable on disability and to encourage them to go back to work to get health insurance sooner. No lie. http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=155&p_created=955634036&p_sid=d_q2WoMj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTM3LDEzNyZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9MCZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX25sJnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9ZGlzYWJpbGl0eQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1. Talk about crazy policies! You can become a quadriplegic and qualify for SSDI, but you are ineligible for Medicare for 2 full years after approval. Oh, yeah, you get 6 more months of Cobra eligibility if you qualify for SSDI (the GOP answer was to extend Cobra coverage to match the 2 year period people are ineligible).