Philadelphia Inquirer Series Examines Health Coverage Gaps

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 30 Sep 2008 - 9:00 PST

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The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday -- in the first article of a series titled "Falling Through: Casualties of the Health Insurance Crisis" -- examined how "even with health insurance, people might not be covered as fully as they think if a serious disease strikes."

The article looked at the case of a Pennsylvania man who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in July 2007. According to the Inquirer, the man had a job and health insurance, but it did not cover the full cost of his cancer-related medications. Eventually, the man was unable to work because of the cancer and acquired debt totaling about $27,000 in part from copayments and drug treatments that were not covered by his insurance. He then enrolled in Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, but he will lose coverage if he wins an appeal to qualify for long-term Social Security benefits because his income would be too high (Vitez, Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/28).

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