Raymond Johnson was dismayed when he found out that Medicaid would not cover his breast cancer treatment.Take our PollMen with breast cancer
Johnson, a 26 year-old, uninsured tradesman from South Carolina who specializes in tile installation would be eligible for treatment under the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act.В
Pa*sed in 2000, the Act allows Medicaid funds to cover treatment for breast or cervical cancer patients who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for the state and federally funded health insurance program.
Only his gender makes him ineligible for Medicaid funds.
«Cancer doesn’t discriminate, so this program shouldn’t discriminate,» Johnson told the Post and Courier.В
The South Carolina Department of Heath and Human Services is on Johnson’s side.В They are asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reconsider the clear oversight in the wording of the law.
«We are again urging CMS to reconsider,» the state Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.«It’s a very clear example of how overly rigid federal regulations don’t serve the interests of the people we’re supposed to be helping.»
The American Cancer Society estimates that 2,140 new cases of breast cancer in men are diagnosed each year.
In the state of South Carolina, allowing men breast cancer coverage involves a lot of complications, including whether men should be screened or be subject to early detection programs.
Since 2007, 16 men from South Carolina have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have applied for Medicaid coverage.В All were denied because they were males.
Johnson, is receiving care at two different hospitals.В In order to get there, he received gasoline cards, donated from a local charity that provides help for breast cancer patients.
According to Mona Shah, the a*sociate director of the American Cancer Society’s lobbying group, Johnson may have to wait until 2014, when he would be able to purchase private insurance,
Male breast cancer patients and patients with other types of cancers will be eligible once federal health reform is in place, she told the Post and Courier.
In 2009, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that, «In order to change the eligibility requirements, Congress would need to change the law.» Daily News
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