Cancer Survivor Has Relapse, Lost Medicaid

September 18, 2018: I had a mastectomy of the right breast and a lymph node under my right arm removed due to cancer. I was in hospital for 3 days, but was weak and unable to return home, which was an apartment on the 2nd floor of old building downtown, so I opted to recover at a local nursing home 2 miles from my apt.

Medicare helped me for a time, then added Medicaid, was able to pay some bills & sustain my apartment thinking I could return in a short time. Wounds around the surgical area of my chest were exasperated by the Chemo I was on and I remained very ill for months, even after the four courses of Chemo stopped Feb 6.  I still could not return home, even though I had been paying for it for 6 months.

The nursing home told me that the $360 I was paying for their care as a co-pay would, on March 5, be changed to $1135 (I only get $1180/mo SSD/SSI). Since I had no choice, I agreed...losing my apartment.

If I can move up the list on one of two HUD subsidized apartments (I was told I'd move to #7 on my birthday in August for one of the apts), I'd be able to move out of the nursing home and recover my Pension and pay a special rate for rent, leaving me enough money to pay bills that I still owe. I'm at least $2000 in arrears, including my phone, which is also a necessity.

My wounds are slowly healing but I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Landlord will not let me return to the apartment as the inspector said my disability would require an elevator he can't, understandably, afford to install and I have nowhere else to go except stay in the nursing home, which takes all but $45 of my income each month. I paid taxes for years and I can accept the large co-pay for living here and being cared for, but I can't afford it.

When I do eventually get to the top of the list for either HUD properties, I will have to borrow money from family somehow to pay for moving and rent deposit. 

I am asking for help because I don't know what else I can do. I used to be an audio and video editor, but no one seems to need my services despite repeated attempts to publicize them. Your help is greatly appreciated.

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Organizer

James Finch
Organizer
Bradford, PA

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