Your Government in Action!

[wa3zrm]

News of the Weird ^ | 4-12-2010 | WFOR-TV
Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2010 3:57:10 PM by goods
A Hollywood, Fla., leukemia patient on Medicaid had endured six months of grueling chemotherapy in order to be healthy enough for a long-awaited bone marrow transplant when, in March, a Social Security Administration caseworker called her up out of the blue to inform her that her son was eligible for disability payments, which the woman immediately signed up for. However, almost as immediately, Medicaid removed her from its rolls because the disability check raised her income beyond the qualifying maximum, and her transplant was, life-threateningly, canceled. (In April, the hospital persuaded Medicaid to cover the transplant.)

[bipolarbear1968]

There will be a civil unrest yet.

[justintempler]

That's what happens when you recycle old news....


http://cbs4.com/local/Diana.Smith.Woman.2.1629494.html

Apr 13, 2010 12:47 pm US/Eastern
Marrow Transplant Approved After Insurance Snafu

<A href="http://cbs4.com/local/Diana.Smith.Woman.2.1629494.html#addComments">

Reporting
Lisa Cilli
E-mail
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Click to enlarge 1 of 1
Diana Smith CBS



A South Florida woman battling a rare form of leukemia is finally getting the life-saving surgery she needs and it took a long, hard fight to get to this point.

Diana Smith, 28, of Sunrise, has been cleared by Medicaid to have a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant, Jackson Memorial Hospital has announced.

"Everybody pushed hard enough and actually got somewhere. I just can't wait to get in here and start my battle," Smith told CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez.

Smith was scheduled to receive the transplant last week at JMH after raising $133,000 online and in the community. However, Smith said the federal government revoked her Medicaid Universal coverage status when she accepted a Social Security disability check which was to be used to care for her son.

"I got a phone call that my insurance was cancelled due to the Social Security check for my son and because of that, I made too much money," explained Smith.

Smith didn't ask for the check, but Social Security offered $1,100 monthly to help care for her 3-year-old son. She accepted without knowing it would raise her income above the threshold for the Universal coverage.

One week before the procedure, she was told it was off.

Smith had gone through six months of radiation and chemotherapy -- one week out of every month. She is in remission and had a donor for a transplant; being in remission is a prerequisite for the transplant.

On Monday, Jackson spokeswoman Lorraine Nelson said Smith was undergoing tests and "was cleared for surgery."

"I really had lost faith that there were any good people left in the world, but it turns out that there are tons of them. There are angels that I don't even know," said Smith.

Her faith in humanity and the strength from her 3-year-old son Cameron is what keeps her going.

"I just want to get better and spend time with my family and get back to normal."

Smith has now been admitted to JMH. This week she must undergo intense treatment to prepare her body for the procedure which will take place next week. After that, she'll have a long road to recovery. Forty-five days in the hospital followed by three months of bed rest.

CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez contributed to this report.

[Owens187]

Bleh...