Breast cancer patient denied Medicaid coverage in S.C. because he's a man

This is crazy. I believe I've read that breast cancer tends to be very aggressive when in occurs in men.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/national/breast-cancer-patient-denied-medicaid-coverage-because-he%27s-a-man-

8/5/2011

By: Kristal Roberts

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A Breast cancer patient who didn’t have insurance was thrilled to learn that a state program provided Medicaid for treatment, until that patient was turned down because he was a man.

Only 26-years-old, Raymond Johnson of Charleston, South Carolina decided to have a exam after feeling a lump, thinking that it was probably just a cyst, ABC NEWS 4 reports.

To his surprise, he was diagnosed with breast cancer, a rare condition that only one in 100 men will get per year.

As a tile layer, he didn’t make enough money to afford an insurance plan.

A patient advocate, Susan Appelbaum, had him apply for the state Medicaid program, believing that he’d qualify. But he’d received a rejection notice instead, citing that the program was for women only.

With each treatment totaling around $10,000, the bills are quickly piling up.
"Right now I'm stuck with these bills and I'm trying to find a way," said Raymond, who just underwent his second round of chemotherapy at Roper Saint Francis Hospital.

The state department of health recognizes that there is a problem and has asked the federal government for assistance. But for Johnson, that assistance can’t come soon enough.

Despite the rough road ahead, Appelbaum hasn't given up hope for getting Johnson financial help.

"He's young. He's working and he's worried this could be financially devastating to him."

She is contacting lawmakers, trying to get the Medicaid program changed.

Johnson is grateful for Applebaum’s assistance, calling her his “new best friend”. "I don't know where I'd be without her," he said.

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