SC Male With Breast Cancer Denied Coverage Because of His Gender

Source: ABC News



Breast cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer known to mankind. Some people who are diagnosed with the disease are given months, even down to weeks, to live. On the positive side, there are those who are able to successfully win their battle with breast cancer. Be that as it may, breast cancer continues to take the lives of thousands of Americans every year. And as it once was considered a “woman’s disease”, it has started to really take its toll on the male gender as well. Thanks to new and improved medications and treatments for breast cancer, the chance of patient survival continues to increase.



The sad part is that whether or not you receive these treatments could be based on your sex.



South Carolina resident Raymond Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26. At the time of his diagnosis, Johnson did not have active insurance coverage but immediately sought to get it after being given the news of his condition. His attempt to get coverage failed as Medicaid denied him medical coverage for breast cancer because he is a man.



And Johnson’s hourly wage won’t allow him to pay out of pocket for such treatment:



“I get paid $9 an hour, I don't know how I'm going to pay for it,”



Paying out of pocket for cancer treatments is extremely steep for a person with insurance coverage so imagine how tough it would be for Mr. Johnson.



Being diagnosed with cancer is a hard thing to handle. And it is especially difficult when you are talking about someone who is not even 30 years old. But to be denied medical coverage simply because you are of a certain gender has got to make the situation just that much harder to deal with.



Read more about Raymond Johnson’s story here.