Think Progress

Disabled face two-year wait before enrolling in Medicare.

Each year, tens of thousands of Americans “find themselves disabled and unable to work. After going through the process to get Social Security disability income, most are shocked to discover that they have to wait two more years to be eligible for Medicare, the federal health program for elderly and disabled people.”



19 Responses to “Disabled face two-year wait before enrolling in Medicare.”

  1. Karim says:

    So much for supporting our troops.


  2. Sharon says:

    This is the only thing we can’t blame entirely on this administration…This problem has been on going for more than 20 year’s….I have known many people that have been fighting for year’s to get the benefite’s they diserve…On the other hand I have known many that were able to tap into the system that should not of been able to….What this system need’s is a complete overhaul, more employees and quicker response time….All that are collecting that should not be need to be booted off…..Blessings


  3. GSD says:

    As America melts down with higher crime rates and a crumbling infrastructure, the US builds a 1 billion embassy in Baghdad.

    Who hates America?

    -GSD


  4. Jake says:

    Karim:

    Disabled VETS can go through the bureaucracy of the V.A. instead ; )


  5. Zooey says:

    Support the Troops!

    Awww, f*ck ‘em. They’re disabled, and no longer of any use to the Bush War Machine.
    /sarcasm


  6. old hack says:

    First you have to go through Republican Judges that can just call all your doctors and you a liar without any proof and throw out your claim. Which quikly leads to homelessness.

    This falls under the “vote for Hillary” section.


  7. Operation Northwoods III says:

    The Haves and Have-Mores love finding new and exciting ways to get rid of the Have-less.

    I wonder in the morning when Chimpy shaves — who does he see in the mirror, Lucifer? Perhaps?


  8. Susanb says:

    I was one of the disabled people who had to wait the full two years. They are hoping you’ll die within those two years because you can’t afford health insurance or drugs.

    But, if you work during those two years earning more than $800 a month, they drop you from disability. It’s a Catch 22.


  9. Wes says:

    I was placed on disability in March of 2005, I was without insurance and medical care until March of 2007. If I work even one day I lose all benefits. My health deteriorated without medicine or a doctors care. Great to be living in the USA. No churches or charity are available where I live to supplement medicare.

    Oh AND medicare only covers 50% of your doctor/medication so when I am able to see the DR again in MAY I will have to come up with half out of pocket.


  10. Briseadh na Faire says:

    From the article:

    But cost could be a barrier: Estimates range from $5 billion to more than $8 billion a year to offer Medicare to disabled people in the waiting period

    So, currently, the $5 to $8 billion is coming from the savings and assets of the severely disabled and their families.

    Meanwhile, let’s allow the top 1% of Americans to pass their dynasty down in perpetuity.


  11. Raven says:

    And, meanwhile, allow the corporate militarists to charge Americans 100’s of billions of dollars to pour more blood onto the sands of the Middle East…


  12. ValiantVenusGrewFromUranus says:

    Karim: Disabled VETS can go through the bureaucracy of the V.A. instead ; ) Comment by Jake — April 11, 2007 @ 12:14 pm

    Are you talking about Walter Reed that only turned to sh*t when bush refused to fund it, then *outsourced* it to the company that couldn’t get ice to New Orleans?

    You whack jobs always blame the bureaucracy, when the failure is your own capitalistic cronyism.

    You’re an idiot, old man. Change your diapers, the sh*t is leaking out of them onto this blog again.


  13. muckdog says:

    Well, the English middle class pay 47.9% of their income in taxes.

    If you folks would agree to have your tax rate raised to 47.9%, maybe some of these things could be funded.

    A household receiving £28,000 a year in disposable income pays 47.9 per cent of that in tax.

    1 British pounds = 1.969 U.S. dollars (according to a google search)

    That’s $55,000 in US, folks.

    So lets hear it from you folks who make $55K or more in the US. Are you willing to pay almost half of that to the government in taxes in order to have “free” health care?

    Send an email to Harry and Nancy, demanding that your tax rate be raised! Tell them you’re not paying your fair share!


  14. D. says:

    It is far worse than this article makes it out too be! It took me 3.5 years too get a hearing date too finally hear a judge say I should have had disability all along. Because of this delay, I lost out on having medicare for 2 years that I should have had it, because as my Social Security Award letter states, “We didn’t process your claim in a timely manner.” Due too their admitted delays, I was without any income, and without any medical coverage, and had too pay for any medical care, and medications out of my pocket. I was forced, due too my financial sittuation, too cut out all but one of my Drs. (he treated me without forcing me too pay his charges first), and had too cut out all but a couple of my medications, and was forced too cut back the dosages on those remaining meds too less than half of what my Dr. wanted me too take. The cost too me, even making all these cut backs in care, and meds was severe worsening of my condition, and over $20,000 of what little savings I did have, leaving me basicly broke! Too add insult too injury, once I was determined by a judge too be fully disabled, it took me several months too get paid my back disability payments, and will never be able too recover the 10’s of thousands in out of pocket expenses for the reduced medical care I had too survive on, and worse yet, as a direct effect of the lack of medical care I received, my condition is much worse than ever, and that is permanent. It is an absolute discrace that we remain the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide medical care to every citizen! How do we have the nerve to claim too be the greatest country in the world, when this is how we treat those of us that need medical care the most?


  15. Anacher Forester says:

    If you apply for Social Security Disability, you are automatically denied on your first try. Even if you hire a disability lawyer, which is by far the best way to go (a good disability lawyer takes 20% of back benefits up to a set limit as a fee & only if they win), the process drags on and on. The government allegedly does this to discourage fraudulent claims. In fact, this causes people who desperately need help to give up. Where the government is concerned, it’s the same thing. Between the delay in getting SSDI benefits and the delay in getting Medicare, it’s no surprise that many disabled have a serious problem getting decent medical care, not to mention avoiding bankruptcy, in the first crucial few years of becoming disabled. By the time they do have access to such resources, these disabled are much sicker, require more expensive care and are far less likely to return to the workforce than if they had been granted help sooner.

    AF


  16. bubbajoebob says:

    *If you apply for Social Security Disability, you are automatically denied on your first try* – NOT true, my disability was granted 90 days to the day from application, had my first check 2 weeks later and i personally know of others who had nearly the same experience – if you have the documentation and the tests and fit the parameters it’s not that much trouble, it’ can be a big deal if you don’t – sure, having to wait for medicare sucks, but in many cases you qualify for medicaid for at least a year – my 2 years was up the end of last year and so far i’ve yet to pay over 20% of anything [cept part d, which is a hum job in and of itself]


  17. D. says:

    Bubbajoebob, You are WRONG! I had everything you list in your comments, a lawyer, and Social Security’s own Drs. stated in their report that I was in fact disabled, and I was turned down anyway! If you research the statistics, and I have, you will find that the overwellming majority of disability cases that are eventually found in favor of the disabled individual, are denied at first, and is continued too be denied until they go before a judge. You were lucky, and I am very happy for you that you were, but the fact is, most of us must fight, and wait, and fight, and wait,… for years before we finally receive the disability payments, and the medical coverage, we need, and we deserve! It took me over 4 years to get through the whole process, and after much research, I have found, my story is the norm, and yours is rare! Check it out for yourself!


  18. Raymond Funamoto says:

    TALK ABOUT “LOSING FACE” AND CRIMINAL NEGLECT OF OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS WHO SACRIFICED ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY—MAKES ME WANT TO HIRE A FACE-RIPPER TO REMOVE CHIMPya and FRANKENCheney’s EVIL VISAGES LIKE IN “Les Yeux Sans Visage(tm)”!!!!!


  19. Raymond Funamoto says:

    TALK ABOUT “LOSING FACE” AND CRIMINAL NEGLECT OF OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS WHO SACRIFICED ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY—MAKES ME WANT TO HIRE A FACE-RIPPER TO REMOVE CHIMPya and FRANKENCheney’s EVIL VISAGES LIKE IN “Les Yeux Sans Visage(tm)”!!!!!



Jump to Top

About Think Progress | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy (off-site) | RSS | Donate
© 2005-2009 Center for American Progress Action Fund
View Most Popular

Advertisement

What We're About

Featured

image
Subscribe to the Progress Report



imageTopic Cloud


Visit Our Affiliated Sites

image image
Reports


Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.

Name:
Email:
Tip:
(required)


imageArchives


imageBlog Roll