Kidney Cancer, Medical Bills Force Washington Man Into Homelessness

As part of our Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up local stories of formerly middle-class families who are now struggling to stay afloat.

The story of a 49-year-old Mike Pyles is indicative of the larger problem in Bellingham, Wash. -- formerly middle-class people who now are homeless or face homelessness because of foreclosure, medical bills or other economic hardships.

The Western Front Online briefly tells Pyles' story. He was diagnosed with renal cancer in 2004 and had to pay significant out-of-pocket expenses to save his life. Over $230,000 later, he now has nowhere to live and has been homeless for the past four years.

Gail de Hoog of the Whatcom County Health Department says there are over 1,300 people in the county.

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Florida is encouraging the poor and uneducated to buy more lottery tickets, according to an article in Tampa Bay Online. Lottery officials want customers to be able to buy tickets in more places, including restaurants and Wal-Mart.

From 2008-2009, Floridians spent $4 billion dollars on lottery tickets. About half of that money came from the poor/uneducated demographic, whom a state-conducted study called "Thrill Seeking Dreamers."

Comments

[spytheweb]

04:45 PM on 03/09/2010

Why not just tell them to buy stock in Haliburton? Or to eat cake?

[textynn]

11:18 PM on 03/07/2010

America the best health care in the world. Any time I hear that I want to break something.

[Julia Bailey]

03:35 PM on 03/07/2010

"Florida is encouraging the poor and uneducated to buy more lottery tickets,"

The lottery is a tax on people who can't do math.

[hibeam]

01:37 PM on 03/06/2010

I’m pretty sure that is actually a picture of some guy in an Oboma care iron lung machine. Cost cutting you know. Crappy health care for all.

[hibeam]

12:42 PM on 03/06/2010

Why doesn’t Obama lead by example? Why doesn’t Obama take this man into his home and pay for his operation?

[rain33]

06:35 PM on 03/06/2010

he should as well all members of congress as well senate too!

[tbone99]

06:36 PM on 03/05/2010

How bout buying lottery tickets for healthcare? - at least then we could understand the system...

[ThinkLiberal]

05:31 PM on 03/05/2010

Welkom to Amerika.

[COPerez]

03:35 PM on 03/05/2010

This man should be proud to live in America; where his FREEDOM to lose all his money to secure his health and his LIBERTY is not infringed only to keep him in his home!

We have the BEST medical system in the world and all the rest of our so-called "democratic" allies are really secret bastions of COMMUNISM and SOCIALISM!

There weren't any trolls in the thread and I missed them.

[ljkcan]

11:30 PM on 03/05/2010

Your joking right?. I read your comments about Canadians on another story and before I give you a taste of what is on my Canadian mind I want to make sure you are joking.

There is nothing I cherish as much as our health care. Nobody should have to choose between a illness and being homeless, food or medication, university for their kids, or medical bills.

If I did not have Universal Health care I would not have been able to educate my children and keep my home. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness over 25 years ago I have no doubt that if I lived in the US I doubt I would even be alive.

Now if you were joking I apologize after all I am Canadian.

[COPerez]

01:44 PM on 03/06/2010

DEFINITELY joking... note my last sentence.

My wife's Canadian and I'm fondly aware of your wonderful medical system. I hope that you are on your way to healing.

[calltoaction]

03:01 PM on 03/05/2010

GOP's design for America

[Pavane]

10:54 PM on 03/07/2010

YAY ... cardboard boxes for all! The righwingntuzies and thuglican way!

[MeinNH]

02:03 PM on 03/05/2010

"Florida is encouraging the poor and uneducated to buy more lottery tickets"

That makes a lot of sense???? Only in america....

[arabianway]

12:03 AM on 03/06/2010

People forget that Florida is The Deep South!

Don't let all the retirees and South beach hotties fool you.

[ljkcan]

11:54 AM on 03/06/2010

I saw a bunch of Canadian geese flying back the other day and I joked that it was because it was milder here than down south.

Now I think they were saying get me back to Canada those people are flipping nuts.